Phoenix Fragment
by Greylle
Summary: though there will be minor crossoverish elements used briefly, the main crossover is a variant of the Phoenix from Marvel Comics. Sort of. Kind of.
1. Chapter 1:will of fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle (aka Kestral)

Chapter One: Will Of Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

One section (episode 217847 of the addventure) was written by Errol Perigrinus.

NOTES: The Mischief Fragment section over at the Anime Addventure was written with the intent on having a little fun with an alternate take on the series. Phoenix Fragment didn't get a lot of response initially, though it was the one i thought had the most opportunity for really messing with the canon. So, it probably won't be continued due to the lack of response. If someone wants to take the story over, just let me know.

* * *

He was a being that had been born before the current universe had come to pass. In the beginning, he was Chaos. Without a true physical form, without gender or a specific identity, he had watched as a bubble of 4D space had formed and exploded outward in a big bang.

He was known by many names, Coyote AND Raven, Puck, Oberon and Titania, among many many others - one of which was Toltiir.

As time went on he had taken many forms, some male or female or shemale or itmale or whatever. Physical form and gender was something he toyed with but 4D existence was something he did not really understand all that well. In that time he learned that pure Chaos had few adherents, and its application tended to interfere with the inherent order needed for life to exist. So Toltiir changed his nature, and embraced Mischief. Which was a sort of constrained Chaos.

4D Life was too entertaining to avoid.

When other gods stepped out of the Chaos, he was shunned by many. Too weird and too powerful, they judged him these other sentients. So his essence formed its first fragments, becoming Raven and Coyote and others through the eons.

In his D52 Branespace multiverse he observed and some nexii of chaos attracted his attention. Individuals whose existence either inspired or caused entire *-Verses to spin off for at least a brief time.

Toltiir pondered this for an eon-moment. As Puck or Robin Goodfellow he'd followed a king, or at least an essence-fragment had. Why not put a bit of him IN one of those nexii? Wouldn't THAT be a great joke on the universe? Now, who to stick with it?

The D52 Entity (who occasionally manifested in 4D space as a little black cat) turned his full (or nearly full) attention on a particular world (causing just about all sentients on that world to have a panic attack for no reason that they could perceive) and one single individual in particular.

A world on which humans, in all their variety and tiny lifespans, had spread across. A world of odd technological disparities where magic of a sort was practiced.

Oh yes. This could be funny.

* * *

The Sealing was ready, the Fourth Hokage standing ready to activate the process with one single gesture at this point.

With a scream that would have overwhelmed a passenger jet taking off, a bird that looked as if it were entirely composed of flame struck the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

The Fourth Hokage hesitated, as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was CUT IN HALF by a single attack.

The colossal bird turned, ignoring the fallen foe, as it contemplated the mote before it.

That mote, being the Fourth Hokage, made the gesture but turned the result.

The Twelve Tailed Beast screeched again, flattening a few trees that had somehow remained standing before now. Then it was gone, sealed within the child Naruto.

It didn't take long for the Fourth Hokage to realize that the Nine-Tails was in a coma but somehow still alive. Had it been a living creature, even a colossal summons like the Boss Toad, it would have been dead but somehow the Beast was still clinging to life. Even if a good portions of its insides were now outside. It's life force was sufficient that it was still holding on somehow

Much, realized the Fourth Hokage, as he himself was. Which was a surprise as the shinigami summoned by the sealing spell should have killed him outright.

Weakened as it was, he could probably seal it without much difficulty even in his current state. A scroll would be sufficient for now. Later though - it would recover and menace things anew.

Who could he seal it in? Not Naruto, that would likely kill him with the firebird already there - and that would invalidate the sealing attempt as intent was important.

Ah, that might work.

* * *

Iruka kept Naruto after class, one day. "Naruto, could you stay? I'd like to talk to you."

His fellow students giggled as they prepared to leave the class, mocking him once again. Quietly, Naruto stood in front of his teacher. He could almost guess, or sense, what Iruka wanted to say.

"Okay Naruto, how'd you do it? I couldn't detect any form of cheating. If only you applied yourself that well to actually learning the material."

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't cheat, honest."

The last bit of students filtering out the door seemed to disagree. "Yeah, right."

"You just suddenly understood lessons I've been trying to teach you for the past few years? You didn't cheat?" asked Iruka.

"No, I didn't. I don't know how, but it's like I been struggling under a weight all my life and then suddenly I got a break," said Naruto. "It was like ... I knew what you were trying to say just as you said it. Like the lesson soaked right in from outside: from you, from the class - it gave me a heckuva headache though."

Iruka rubbed his brow in frustration. "Come again?"

Naruto sighed. He was afraid no one would believe him. He didn't understand it much himself. "I can't explain; it was like I could suddenly see the answers. As long as I focused on the lesson, it would just come to me."

"I ... see," Iruka conceded as he nodded his head, though he really didn't see. "And you didn't focus in class before?"

"No, not exactly. I mean ... well, I tried to follow along, really." Naruto trailed off.

_Honestly! That idiot! Why doesn't he just give up on being a ninja? He's hopeless!_

Naruto's eyes opened wide as he spun around to defend himself. "Sakura! That's not ..." He trailed off when he saw he was alone in the classroom with Iruka. He couldn't see anyone else around.

"Are you feeling Okay? You seem a bit distracted."

Naruto waved the comment off. "Naw, I'm fine."

"Right, back to the situation at hand." Iruka was interested in getting to the bottom of things. He did care for Naruto. "I guess you could be paying more attention, your certainly have cut back on your pranks. At least, the more involved ones."

Naruto shrugged and kicked his right toe out as he shifted his weight. "It's not like that, or anything."

"Oh? Do you care to talk about it? I remember hearing something about a prank gone bad about a month ago. Something to do with an exploding tag."

"Well," Naruto drawled out, "that's just the thing. That wasn't meant to be a prank."

Iruka was a bit worried, Naruto being taciturn was out of character for the usually lively boy. "I can't help you if you won't tell me what's the problem."

"Can you? Help me I mean."

Iruka's expression softened into a smile. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, not do you want to help, but are you able to help. Would you even begin to understand?"

"Of course. I know at your age, it seems like your all alone, but there is no problem you could have that no one else hasn't experienced at your age. What is it? Is it girls? Is it how your body seems to be changing? Because, that's normal, you know." Iruka was careful to keep a calm, and fatherly tone to his voice. He remembered how embarrassing it was to discuss such issues with his dad, and he didn't want Naruto to feel too shy to discuss the facts of life with him.

"What?" Naruto screeched as his head whipped up, wide eyed and blushing. "It's not about _that_."

"Oh?" Iruka was careful to not show his amusement at Naruto's reaction. _Perhaps, this will be one of those 'a friend of a friend' kind of talk._

Naruto responded somewhat sullenly, "It's not about some friend of a friend wondering about why his balls dropped. It's just personal, that's all."

Iruka gave Naruto a strange look before pressing on. "What ever it is, at your age it can not be so complicated that I couldn't understand it." Though Iruka was beginning to wonder if it didn't have anything to do with the fox demon everyone believed was in Naruto. _Maybe I should discuss this with the Hokage._

Naruto had missed this thought, with his own concerns on his mind.

"Well ... I think I need better control." Naruto admitted, reflecting on how many of his instructors had said the same thing about his use of chakra. Even in his dreams, he was reminded about his poor control.

Iruka blinked at that statement. Worry laced his voice as he asked, "Do you sometimes feel out of control? Like someone else was in charge?"

"Huh?" Naruto wasn't expecting that response, though he was beginning to pick up wisps of suspicion from Iruka centered upon the hitchhiker he was burdened with. "What? Nothing like that, sheesh! I meant chakra control."

"I fail to see what that has to do with pranks and doing well in class." Iruka was feeling a bit lost and wanted to get things back onto track. Or, at least figure out the missing links in Naruto's explanation.

Naruto sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "That wasn't an exploding tag I was trying to make last month, not even close. But that problem and what happened today in class seemed to have started at roughly the same time."

"What were you trying to do?"

"I thought, well, maybe I could use a wind technique on an origami swan to make it fly about. Perhaps to deliver a message to Sakura."

"Aha," Iruka exclaimed suddenly, interrupting Naruto, "so a girl is involved."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "That's not the issue. The issue was the piece of paper and what was suppose to only be a bit of breeze blew up in a giant whirlwind of flames."

"Well, I am sure that was scary, but maybe you just did it wrong."

Naruto shook his head. "That wasn't the scary part. The scary part was I didn't even feel the flames. The scary part is that no matter what I try, large amounts of fire seems to be involved. I'm afraid sneezing might burn my apartment down. I can't seem to control it."

"I see. Well, nothing some training can't fix. Why don't we visit the Hokage and let him know."

Naruto looked down at his feet, sheepishly, while tugging on one ear. "That's not all. That was also when I started to hear voices in my head."

"Voices?" Iruka was worried once more. "What do these voices sound like? What do they say?"

"Not 'kill, maim, murder.'" Naruto rolled his eyes. Just like during class, he seemed to pick up on what Iruka really meant. He knew what Iruka was afraid of, even if it went unsaid. "Not those kind of voices. They sound like you, and Sasuke, Sakura, The Hokage. Like everyone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, that's why I wanted to do better in class," Naruto admitted.

Iruka was lost once more. "Voices in your head told you to do better in class?"

Naruto withdrew sheepishly. Iruka found it somewhat amusing, though worrisome as well. "Not like that. The voices ... I mean, I grew up feeling like the least favorite person in the village. I didn't really think anyone cared, well except for the Hokage. But once the voices started to get louder and talk more ... I mean." Naruto sighed as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. Iruka waited patiently. "It took time. I wasn't sure what I was feeling at first. I thought I was going crazy. But, I found there were some people I didn't want to disappoint after all. That, maybe not much, but there were actually people who cared. And I found that while I didn't care what most people thought of me, I did care for their opinion. I guess, I just sort of realized I wasn't alone."

"And so, you'll do better in school because ... the voices in your head are your friends?" Iruka wasn't sure what to say.

Naruto chuckled without humor. "No, because I figured out how much you care and I don't want to disappoint you. Or maybe I'm just crazy. I can't tell anymore, but the voices seem real. Match up well with people and what they're doing."

Iruka sighed. "Well, I do care. Have you talked to the Hokage about the voices in your head? He'll know what to do."

"Not really sure how to tell him. I'm still trying to understand it myself." Naruto turned to look out the window. _And if I told anyone about those two people in my dreams, they'll really think I'm crazy._

"Well, why don't you head home to rest. And I hope to see you do as well in class as you did today." Iruka gently guided Naruto to the door before shooing him out.

_Phew, that wasn't what I expected. I better make an appointment to discuss this with the Hokage. He'll need to know, and maybe Naruto needs to be examined. Glad to see him taking class more seriously. Hopefully, that continues._

* * *

Naruto trudged home, head held low. Wisps of thoughts reached out over the astral ether.

_Look at his clothes - just shameful._

_Young Punk!_

Naruto flinched at one boiling mass of hate. He could tune the voices out more or less, but the emotions were harder to do.

_I don't know why the Hokage doesn't just get rid of him._

Naruto was getting used to ignoring such thoughts, as he had learned previously to dismiss the attitude of others he dealt with. Naruto's mind was, in fact, busy thinking of something else. _I guess the Hokage will hear of this, soon. I wonder how he'll take it._

Sighing, he decided to go someplace where he could train in peace._I still need to work on my control. Maybe I should give that one exercise a try._ He had been dreaming of training. A nice man and a pretty lady would try to show him stuff and he'd do it. Except, it was a dream and it didn't train his body for real. And upon waking, well those were just dreams, right? He didn't want to look foolish doing something from a dream. He can just imagine Sakura laughing at him.

_Oh, I wonder where Naruto is going? He looks sad._

_That's not Sakura._ Looking around, Naruto wasn't surprised to find Hinata pretending she was looking elsewhere. _Ah yes, Hinata. Another one I can't afford to disappoint._

Naruto wasn't sure why she did, but he knew she cared. Not how much, exactly, but he could feel the compassion and concern roll off of her like waves in a storm. Unsure if it would be a good idea, he made a decision.

Walking up to Hinata, who was still looking away, Naruto tapped her on the arm. "Hi, Hinata is it? We're in class together."

_Oh, smooth. She knows we're in class together. sheesh._

Hinata jumped in surprised, unaware of Naruto's approach, and spun around, blushing._Nar-Nar-Naruto-kun is talking to me?_ All she could do for awhile was stare dumbly, at a loss for words.

"Well, I just wanted to say hi. Sorry for bothering you. Are you walking this way? I'm on my way to a training ground, myself."

Hinata nodded before shaking her own head vigorously, seemingly waking herself up. "You're not bothering me. What are you going to do at the training ground?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just some badly needed training. Can't be the best if you don't expand your limits."

"Oh," Hinata seemed intrigued, "where did you hear that?"

"Just some ..." _guy in a dream. That'll sound insane._ "I just heard it somewhere."

Hinata nodded.

"Well, I better be off. See you in school." Naruto waved as he walked off.

Hinata swallowed nervously, holding one hand up towards Naruto's back as he walked away, trying to say something. _I want to help. Oh, why can't I be braver._

Naruto abruptly stopped and turned to her, causing her heart to nearly stop. "On the other hand, do you think you can give me a hand, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata's sudden smile was really all the answer he needed.

* * *

"Okay, about the time I started hearing the... wind speaking," said Naruto, deciding to use an old story about a ninja information specialist. It sounded a lot better than just 'voices in his head' after all. "I started to be able to do this, and I got a lot better at it."

Hinata looked around the clearing. It had obviously been used by a lot of people in the past for kunai target practice. There was even a set of kunai sitting out on an old tree stump. Or make that floating in the air.

Hinata stopped and stared as Naruto stood there with his hands out and fingers spread and the kunai floated up to form a ring in midair around his hands.

"Byakugan!" invoked Hinata, looking at chakra. She frowned as she didn't see what she expected, which would have been thin threads of chakra controlling the kunai knives. Instead they were supported by... whatever it was.

Naruto relaxed ever so slightly as he felt Hinata's reaction. Curiosity, wonder, excitement. She never felt fear or disgust or hate towards him, or if she ever had - she hadn't done so since he'd started picking up on what people were feeling.

Actually, realized Naruto, it was easier to pick up on someone's feelings than the voices he heard. He'd been coming here since it was distant enough that he wasn't getting that constant muttering of voices in the background. He'd always wanted to share this ability with someone though and it looked like he might have just chosen correctly.

Hinata reached out tentatively and tapped one of the knives with one finger, making it bob in the air. "How are you doing this, Naruto?"

"I figured out how to make things move accidently," said Naruto, closing his eyes. "Now I can hit the target nine times out of ten."

_whishhhhhhhhhhhhhhh THUNK!_

"The faster I make the blade go, the more often I miss," said Naruto after sending a blade at high speed into a target.

"Oh, I see," said Hinata, noting that the target HAD been hit but that the kunai was a hand's breadth from the center. "So, how can I help?"

"Actually, can you tell me how your Byakugan works? I think I might have an idea there," said Naruto.

* * *

The Demon Fox pondered its cage inside a boy who could use neither ninjitsu nor genjutsu. Wounded badly by the Phoenix, he had spent years slowly building up the boy's chakra coils only to learn that his prison STILL couldn't access those arts properly. Kyubi looked around its cell again, and considered the raw power level of the jailor.

For one thing, the little black cat the Kyubi knew responsible for all this had apparently not found the idea of a jail cell in a sewer to be sufficiently amusing. In order to fulfill the conditions of being a seal, the containment had to be a containment but the overall effect was not quite the same.

This 'prison' was in the shape of a 'shinto' style shrine with an offering box and little jangly bells and such in the front. It was a cage still, apparently no getting around that, but one with satellite TV and books and other things.

The Demon Fox knew that it itself had been altered by the cat-being. For a few moments it had had an intelligence level that would have astounded any number of beings. Even now it retained an intelligence level that humans would have rated as about 200. Compared to its normal level of intelligence, which was far more animalistic, this was still extreme.

With a sigh, the Demon Fox considered the telephone over on a stand. Two speed dial buttons. One to its host. One to that Elder which had started the current mess.

With another sigh, the Demon Fox punched the second button.

"Hello? You know darn well who this is," said the Demon Fox into the phone. "Look. You did this. You altered things around. Now I'm here. Yes, I'm ready to make the best of the situation. Uh huh. I'll tell you what the bloody problem is. My host currently hasn't gotten any benefit out of having me here. It's like having a tanker full of jet fuel and the only thing around to fuel up is an old pickup truck. Anachronism? Look, YOU are the one who set me up with 347 channels including the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. I've also found a certain fascination with the Military Channel. Hmmm? No I don't see how they could build any of it, I just like things that go boom in a satisfactory manner. About Rock Lee though. All I'm saying is just fix a couple of tiny little things. Oh yes, as a matter of fact I DO have a few suggestions."

* * *

"Ungh," groaned Lee as he twisted and turned in his sleep. "Turtles..."

_Yes, Lee, I am the Turtle Sage,_ said the being shrouded in mist.

"Why turtles?" asked dream-Lee.

_..._ mumbled the Turtle Sage.

"What?" asked Lee.

_Look. I just AM,_ said the Turtle Sage. _Nobody bothers asking about slugs, toads, snakes, and so on - and they're getting frogs and toads mixed up when they ARE talking about them. So can we just get on with your insane-yet-effective taijutsu training?_

"This has a chance of making me a splendid ninja?" asked Lee.

_Not only will this make you a splendid ninja, but you'll be able to kick butt on anyone who tells you that you CAN'T be,_ said the Turtle Sage.

"Tell me more," said Rock.

* * *

"There is a problem," said one of the minions.

"HOW is there a problem?" asked one of the lords of the Akatsuki.

"Naruto Uzumaki contains the twelve-tails," said the minion.

"Yes. Your point?" asked Deidara, sounding impatient. It might have been a secret to nearly everyone else, but there had been enough people present to see that happening.

"If you have to seal the beasts in the order of their number of tails, won't we have to find the tenth and eleventh tailed beasts then?" asked the minion.

Deidara stopped moving forward when Itachi held up a hand.

"We've killed the last three minions to ask that question," said Itachi. "We're either going to have to address the issue or start cutting out tongues."

Deidara grinned and held up a small knife.

"There is no Twelvetails," said Itachi, addressing everyone. "Let that be known and understood. Anyone else questioning this will be given to the Corpseworks."

There was much frantic nodding amongst the faceless, but not entirely mindless, minions.

Itachi nodded once in apparent satisfaction. "Go out and find the beasts, then keep them under surveillance."

"I've got a question," asked Hidan as the minions moved out.

"Oh?" asked Itachi.

"Where DID you get that color of nail polish? It is simply to dye for," asked Hidan.


	2. Chapter 2:heart of fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle (aka Kestral)

Chapter Two: Heart Of Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

NOTES: The Mischief Fragment section over at the Anime Addventure was written with the intent on having a little fun with an alternate take on the series. Phoenix Fragment didn't get a lot of response initially, though it was the one i thought had the most opportunity for really messing with the canon. So, it probably won't be continued due to the lack of response. If someone wants to take the story over, just let me know.

* * *

Itachi turned around and started beating the utter snot out of Hidan. Various minions watched this occur and vowed not to get Itachi pissed at them.

Rock Lee signed a contract with the turtles. It was in a dream, but that was fine in its own way. Turtles were evocative of defense and Rock Lee could use some purely defensive moves.

Naruto trained his telekinesis, Hinata trained her avoidance skills using the Byakugan and her own speed and flexibility.

As Rock Lee began to awaken, somewhere someone chuckled.

* * *

The idea was to be amused and amusing. This was already begun by binding a fragment of the Phoenix into Naruto instead of the Ninetailed Demon Fox. Having looked forward, Toltiir saw things as they'd progressed and didn't find it generally amusing.

Now he provided the Demon Fox inside Rock Lee with a different manifestation and manner of empowering his Host.

That left the appropriate "origin" - but he had an idea on how to proceed.

* * *

_"Whosoever touches this gem shall be granted the power of the Avatar Of The Ninetailed Demon Fox! Henceforth, you who read these words, shall become ... forevermore ... a human juggernaut!"_

"How did this get into my shoe?" asked Rock Lee, contrasting the fist sized gem with the shoe that really wasn't much bigger. "WAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Rock Lee, smouldering with azure fire, fell over limply onto the ground.

* * *

Yes, thought Toltiir to himself, that would do.

He checked the headquarters of the Legion Of Sasuke Fangirls and found that they were now pouring over the copies of the picture-book _Sasuke Uchiha: Bath, Bedroom, And Beyond_ and...

It looked like most of them were both about to pass out from drooling.

Toltiir nodded as the seeds of another set of jokes had apparently fallen on fertile ground.

* * *

Uncle Genma had obviously dropped it.

Sasuke Uchiha sneered at it. "Land Of Hot Springs? Training Grounds at Sacred Jusenkyo Mountain? Get real. Get..."

Sasuke stared at one picture, squinting and holding it close to his face. "Is that... Itachi?"

* * *

"So what is it you've come up with, Lee?" asked Might Guy, smiling fondly at his student.

Rock Lee pointed at a set of large boulders. "This. Juggernaut Jutsu!"

_KA BOOM!_

Rock gasped for breath as the rock dust began to clear.

"Interesting," said Might Guy, considering what he'd just seen. Of course, he wasn't sure what he'd just seen so he wasn't all that clear on the details.

"It is a stepped technique, Guy-sensei," said Rock Lee. "Once my fist is in motion, nothing can stop it. Eventually I may be able to surround my entire body with it."

"So," said Might Guy. "More training!"

"Yes, Guy-sensei!" enthused Rock.

* * *

"Take a rest, Hinata, you look like you're going to drop," said Naruto.

"S-sorry," apologized Hinata, looking hurt.

"Nah, that's what you train for, to get better," said Naruto.

"h-hai!" said Hinata, nodding.

_I mustn't let Naruto down._

"You're not letting me down," said Naruto.

"b-but I didn't say anything," said Hinata.

_I can't... Naruto-kun is so close..._

Naruto took two steps back.

_ohhhh darn_

Naruto twitched a little at the wave of disappointment coming from the girl. "Uhm, Hinata?"

"Y-y-yes?" asked Hinata.

"Really, take it easy," said Naruto. She seemed to be waiting for something more, now radiating anticipation, so he decided to just try fumbling something out. "I'm really concerned about you."

_Naruto-kun is concerned about me?! Could it be that he... likes me?_

Naruto looked at Hinata, who seemed to be looking at everything else and twiddling her fingers around. He frowned, and considered what to do. She still felt so nervous, so maybe saying something positive? "Uhm, sure. You're kinda weird and stuff, but yeah. I like you."

_He... Naruto-kun. He... _

Images flashed across from Hinata to Naruto. Times that she'd felt despair so deep she couldn't find her way out. Then there he was. Naruto saw himself. Saw himself through the Byakugan. Saw himself not giving up, throwing himself into practice.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he watched Hinata fall to the ground in yet another faint.

This time though, he knew. He'd felt it coming directly from her. She loved him?! She fainted because her emotions were so intense or something?

Now what was he to do about it?

He'd been alone much of his life. However he hadn't personally felt the fear and uncertainty that were woven through the being of Hinata Hyuga.

He was frequently wrong but infrequently uncertain.

As he squatted there in the training ground he reached to the side and brushed an errant hair from her face. He hadn't intended to probe, he'd just done it. It was hard for him to shut off the voices from other people much less the feel of their emotions. Something else he figured he'd have to train at.

This was all so strange for him. He'd been alone, shoved to the side for so often.

He'd been feeling the concern and compassion from this weird girl who kept looking away from him, and now he knew a bit more about that. It was, oddly enough, something to both make him happy and scared.

A spike of surprise not too far away caused him to stiffen and begin looking for spies, but that was when Hinata began to stir as well.

Eyes fluttered open, Hinata looked up and around and finally focussed on him. A wave of embarassment mixed with happiness and fright rolled over him. Naruto considered that no matter what Hinata was feeling, she went all out. Every emotion that rolled off of her was particularly vibrant and powerful.

"Hey, Hinata," said Naruto, looking nervous. "You know, uhm. We ought to get together for these training sessions more often."

_Naruto-kun is asking to go out more often?!_

"Ye-ye-yes, I mean, I think that might be good," said the girl now tapping and twirling her fingers together as she looked everywhere but at Naruto.

* * *

Neji Hyuga frowned as the 'hime' fidgeted and otherwise looked like some silly schoolgirl.

Well, she WAS a silly schoolgirl, so maybe that wasn't too unexpected.

On the other hand, when he'd been told to keep an eye on Naruto Uzumaki while between assignments, he had NOT expected what he'd seen with his Byakugan.

Naruto had some new jutsu that allowed him to use something akin to ninja-puppetry. He was darn good at it too, as the chakra strings controlling those kunai (and rocks and branches and such) had been invisible to even HIS vision at this distance.

Neji considered that. Over the last year, he'd heard that this boy named Naruto had gone from dead-last-know-nothing to credible-if-clownish-ninja-student. More surprising had been that he'd suddenly developed skill with fire jutsu, even if he had a tendency to blow things up.

When the boy had reached out and brushed hair from the face of the hime, Neji had nearly accidently dropped his Byakugan out of sheer shock.

At which point this 'talentless boy' had somehow detected his presence. A further shock and bit of information to take away from this encounter.

The Hokage would be informed of all this, but Neji found himself wondering about the hyperactive blond ninja and the hime. He who prided himself on his ability with the Byakugan had missed something.

How very very odd.

Well, it couldn't have been of any consequence anyway.

* * *

_Exam Day:_  
There was always a work-around. Naruto found one.

Instead of the constant muttering and being battered by people's emotions, he was actively listening to one person. Focussing on THAT individual as best he could.

_Na-na-naruto-kun is looking at me again! He's smiling! Could this mean, could I hope, that maybe he likes me._

Naruto decided that maybe he ought not to do that too much. After all, Hinata had just fainted again. Well, not really fainted, but slumped into place in a daze. With a happy little smile, but still - she was going to have problems with the exam if she didn't snap out of it.

Trying to focus in on Sakura didn't help. When she saw him looking at her, the revulsion and annoyance was like a slap in the face. When she didn't focus on him like that, every third thought seemed to involve Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke was dark and brooding and had an undercurrent of nervousness. He might have to look deeper though. There was something going on there he wasn't sure about. It was like a dark cavern ringed with brambles down there below his surface concerns of what ambush his fanclub was preparing.

Kiba's dog Akamaru felt his mental touch and turned to growl at him. THAT was unusual enough to draw Kiba's attention.

"Trying to work out a new jutsu," explained Naruto with a wave of his hand.

"Eh?" asked Kiba, looking mildly intrigued but sending a deeper spike. He HAD suspected that the class clown had hidden depths. Roughly about the time that explosion with the 'fire jutsu' hadn't left Naruto with so much as a singe mark. "Let me know when you've got it worked out."

Naruto thought that encouraging enough that he decided to try and 'send' rather than just 'receive' and pushed.

_Sure, I'll tell ya about it when I've got the bugs worked out._

Kiba was sufficiently surprised that he fell off the bench. Which REALLY upset Akamaru.

"Hey hey, no hurt intended," said Naruto when confronted with the upset canine.

"Oh man, can I ever see uses for THAT," said Kiba, images of silent communication in combat situations followed by the equivalent of passing answer sheets around in class.

Naruto held a finger up in front of his lips and winked.

As he'd figured, everyone else in class dropped their own interest (peaked by Kiba's reaction to apparently nothing at all) - figuring it was some other weird prank technique Naruto was working out. Like his Sexy Jutsu but only visible to a selected victim.

"Okay, we're going to have the final test today," said Iruka, moving to the front of the class. "Today we'll be doing the Clone Technique. Everyone form a line."

"Errr, sensei," said Naruto, suddenly nervous. "I think I should be last. And you might want to have someone with water techniques handy."

"Why, Naruto?" asked Iruka.

"'Cause last time I tried to do that, I set the floor on fire," said Naruto. "At least nothing blew up, but..."

"Right," said Iruka. "You're last. Sakura Haruno, you're up first."

* * *

Naruto let out a deep breath and looked up at the stars as evening fell. THAT hadn't gone well. Not at all.

He'd managed a Clone Technique, but it had exploded. In fire. He'd helped put out the fires but that hadn't been a good demonstration of his abilities.

He felt it coming. A dark miasma of twisted hate and bile, enough to nauseate Naruto the first few times he'd glimpsed what dwelt behind the gently smiling facade of Mizuki.

"Naruto! I know how you can graduate as a gennin," said Mizuki.

"Yeah?" said Naruto, not trusting Mizuki or liking him, but he still wanted to keep his abilities secret. "Tell me more?"

* * *

"Hey old man," said Naruto from the window as the Hokage looked up from his work.

"Eh?" asked the surprised Hokage.

"Mizuki tells me I can graduate by stealing this scroll and showing everyone I can use a technique in here, but I... got reasons not to trust him." Naruto shrugged and adjusted the strap holding a large scroll to his back. "Keep an eye on me and maybe I can get him to reveal what he's up to."

"What? Wait, Naruto!" vainly called out the Hokage as the boy in the window abruptly vanished again. "Oh bother. I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

Naruto leapt from building to building, heading in the direction that Mizuki had given him. He felt the alarms behind him. The quiet affection and exasperation of the Hokage. Iruka's confusion. Now that he knew enough to tune into specific people, if he had an idea of where they were - he could 'listen' in to what they were doing.

He passed by the Hyuuga compound and detoured as he felt Hinata's shame/fear/uncertainty.

"weak. Useless. How could I father such garbage!" said the man. He was radiating some disgust and a lot of frustration which veiled some genuine affection.

Naruto interrupted by leaping in and grabbing Hinata around the waist. "Hinata. I need a witness. The safety of the village is at stake."

"What?!" said the old guy.

"Huh?" said Hinata.

Naruto went through some fumbled one-handed attempts at hand-signs. Considering what he had felt off of Mizuki earlier, this would help Hinata out and having a witness around to see he wasn't doing anything wrong would help if Mizuki just denied everything. He grinned then, having wanted to try this idea out. "Wind Manipulation Jutsu: Fly Like An Eagle!" It wasn't a real jutsu, of course. It was just he was using that pick things up technique on himself.

"Wha- !" exclaimed Hinata as she was suddenly being whisked along behind Naruto and quickly left the ground behind.

"We got to get in position fast," said Naruto to Hinata as they went. "I lost Mizuki for a little while but he's coming along now."

"M-m-mizuki?!" asked Hinata. _What's going on? Why are we flying? Naruto-kun is holding me close?!_

* * *

Hiashi Hyuga frowned as the wind swirling around came to a stop. That had NOT looked to him like a normal jutsu, but he could also see the Hokage's point as had come out with some of Naruto's earlier pranks. Neither was this sort of thing really anything that you would have expected with a Ninetailed Demon Fox. In fact, Hiashi knew that after his questioning of the Hokage after one of Naruto's more flamboyant tricks - he was one of the few people in the village who knew the truth of Naruto's parentage.

A smile tried to quirk up at one corner of his mouth, but he retained sufficient control to beat it back down again.

"Sir?" asked one of the retainers.

"Get Jou and Ken," said Hiashi. "Those two I can count on to keep their eyes open and their mouths shut. Have them catch up with me while I follow my daughter. 'safety of the village' eh?"

* * *

Hinata quickly found herself deposited on the limb of a tree where she could see an old cabin of some sort. Probably a station used by ANBU or some local farmer. Hmmm. "Byakugan".

Definitely a woodcutter's residence, though it looked as though nobody had used it for some time.

For a moment she felt faint. Naruto had held her hand! Naruto had taken her out into the woods! Naruto was counting on her and trusting her to back him up!

It was that last that made her straighten and focus. Naruto needed her help, needed her to focus. She would NOT fail him.

* * *

"Who's that?" whispered Jou as he edged into position next to Hiashi Hyuga.

"My daughter," said the clan head, an unexpected tone of pride creeping into his voice before he could crush that too.

"Hinata?! but her body language..." Jou pointed out.

Hiashi nodded. One of the things that the Hyuga clan learned was how to interpret body language. Necessary as their Byakugan only gave visual details. Being able to interpret what they saw required a constant honing of skills. As with everything else, some were better than others.

Hinata was usually uncertain, timid, full of self-doubt and a lack of confidence. Hinata's current body language was not displaying that so much as attention and an iron core of determination.

If this was due to her association with Minato's child, he would have to see how he could subtly nudge the two together more often.

* * *

He could feel the twisted knot of bile that was Mizuki. Mizuki was watching him and felt... cautious? Anticipation?

Then Iruka-sensei came rushing in.

"NARUTO!" said the teaching ninja.

Naruto glanced up from the scroll. "Heh heh. You found me. I've only learned one technique so far."

"Eh?" asked Iruka. _This isn't just one of his spur-of-the-moment pranks?_ "What were you doing here? Why do you look beat up?"

"Well, duh," said Naruto. "Mizuki told me that if I can manage one of the jutsu on this scroll - I can still graduate. So I'm studying!"

At which point Mizuki moved faster than Naruto had anticipated.

Iruka-sensei threw Naruto to the side, and was hit by several kunai immediately. It was just luck that a number of the kunai somehow missed.

"Nice job finding the moron," said Mizuki as he revealed his position.

"I see, so that's what's going on," said Iruka as a couple of the kunai apparently worked themselves loose on their own.

"What? What's going on here?" asked Naruto, inwardly cursing himself for missing as many of the kunai as he had.

"Naruto!" yelled Iruka-sensei. "Whatever happens, don't give him the scroll."

"Eh?" asked Naruto.

"That's a dangerous scroll that has forbidden jutsu written in it," said Iruka. "Mizuki used you to get his hands on it."

"Naruto!" said Mizuki, sneering openly at Naruto. "There's no point in you having it. I'll tell you the truth."

"N-no! Don't!" said Iruka.

Naruto felt the panic from Iruka, and couldn't help but wonder what it was.

"12 years ago, you know about the Demon Fox being sealed, right?" said Mizuki, his hatred glittering bright but with no sign of lying in his surface thoughts.

Naruto felt bits of panic from several of those others watching, but Mizuki still hadn't revealed anything major.

"Since that day, a special rule was created for this village," continued Mizuki, "but this rule was never meant to be told to you."

"What?" Naruto dropped the scan around him, focussing on Mizuki. He was, as far as Naruto could tell, not lying. "What is this rule?"

"The rule is that nobody is allowed to talk about the fact that YOU are that Ninetailed Demon Fox," said Mizuki.

"Eh?" asked Naruto.

"It means that YOU are the Ninetailed Demon Fox that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village," said Mizuki.

"STOP IT!" yelled Iruka.

"You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire and you have been lied to by everyone," said Mizuki. "Didn't you find it odd that everyone hates you? Iruka is the same, he also hates you!"

_He's never known a parent's love,_ came a thought-voice from Iruka, _and is hated by all the villagers._

"Nobody will ever love you," said Mizuki, whipping a large shuriken forward.

_So to get attention, he's caused a lot of trouble,_ continued Iruka-sensei's thought. _He wants people to acknowledge his existence in any way possible._

Naruto staggered, wondering if Mizuki was right about the Demon Fox. Or, no. Not a Fox. He could feel Mizuki's desire to twist the kunai in. To hurt others and thereby prove himself superior.

Naruto stopped the shuriken with a telekinetically molded gust of air. He could feel Iruka's regret and shame. He could feel the Hokage's disagreement with some part of Mizuki's statements. He could feel the quiet support of Hinata and of her father's confusion. Though this last was hard to scan because he hadn't met that father more than just the once.

"What? How did you?" asked Mizuki.

"Demon Fox? Yeah, sh'right," said Naruto, feeling cocky. "I don't feel exactly 'foxy' but if you don't tell me why you're doing this, I'll show you how much of a demon I can be!"

"Go ahead, use that scroll to take your revenge on the village," said Mizuki, trying to get control of the situation again.

"The Demon Fox would," said Iruka. "Naruto would not. I've already acknowledged him as one of my excellent students. He may not be the hardest worker, he's clumsy and no one accepts him. That means he already knows what it is to feel pain inside your heart. He isn't the Demon Fox. He is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Well, then, hurry up and DIE!" said Mizuki, launching an attack - this time directly at Iruka rather than at Naruto.

Naruto saw the opening, took the shot, slamming into Mizuki.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Mizuki as he picked himself up.

"You shouldn't try to hurt Iruka-sensei," said Naruto, tightening one fist until the knuckles popped. "If you do, I'll kill you."

"I'll kill someone like you in one shot!" said Mizuki.

"I'll give you back this pain a thousand times over," said Naruto, searching within him. Finding the power, channelling it.

"Try it, trash!" responded Mizuki.

"Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" cast Naruto, forming a thousand clones which surrounded the clearing.

"WHAT?!" asked Mizuki, looking around. "How?"

"Not gonna kill me with one shot?" asked Naruto. "Ya know. I'm always getting fire when I try lots of stuff. So why don't I try something here."

"What?" asked Mizuki. "You don't scare me, Demon Fox!"

"BURN KNUCKLE!" said a thousand Naruto's, flames forming around their fists as they charged in and started beating on Mizuki.


	3. Chapter 3:hand of fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle (aka Kestral)

Chapter Three: Hand Of Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

NOTES: The Mischief Fragment section over at the Anime Addventure was written with the intent on having a little fun with an alternate take on the series. Phoenix Fragment didn't get a lot of response initially, though it was the one i thought had the most opportunity for really messing with the canon. So, it probably won't be continued due to the lack of response. If someone wants to take the story over, just let me know.

* * *

Hinata Hyuga was tired. She had had a normal schoolday. She had practiced with Naruto afterwards. She had gone home, finished off her homework, and then been dragged off by her father for a practice session in the Gentle Fist style.

While being berated by that father for failing to be impressive, she had been swept out of the normal situation by Naruto for a moonlit forest rendevous.

She had observed, she had watched. Her faith in Naruto had, as far as she had been concerned, rewarded. Naruto had just beaten one of their teachers up when that teacher had been in the process of betraying the village and trying to kill one of the other teachers.

She'd never liked Mizuki. Not just for being too snarky. She'd seen him, even when he thought no one was looking. His body language gave the lie away to those who knew how to read it.

Tears were running down Naruto's face as he turned towards Iruka. "What? What is in me?"

Hinata found herself there without knowing how or when she'd moved. She hesitated for just a moment, then took Naruto's hands. Willing without words that she could tell him that it didn't matter, that he was Naruto, that she loved him.

Naruto's head lifted, he stared into her startled face for a moment, and then he simply gathered her close in a hug.

Iruka's jaw hung open.

"Well, well," said Hiashi, mostly amused. "So that's how it is."

The Third Hokage glanced to the side and spotted a black cat. Wearing a little beret and striped shirt and smoking a cigar as he leaned against a tree.

"Ah, l'amour," said the cat. "Young love. It is so... young."

"Believe it or not," said the Third Hokage, "I was young once myself."

"I might have been once myself," said the cat, "except it was so long ago I don't remember it."

"They say the memory is the first thing to go," noted the Hokage, wondering who had summoned a cat. Not that a cat was an inappropriate summons for a ninja.

"I thought it was innocence myself," said the cat, fading away until only the beret was left. Then that vanished with a Pop sound.

The Hokage smiled. "Not much innocence to be had in a ninja village."

Then he spotted the way young Hinata was beginning to cling back to Naruto, and allowed that perhaps there was a little bit of that to be found after all. If one knew where to look.

* * *

"Naruto hit Mizuki with nine hundred and ninety nine Shadow Clones using the S-Level Kage Bunshin technique," said the retainer. "He then used a Fire-based technique that he called 'Burn Knuckle' to impart extra energy to his attacks. Each clone, on average, hit Mizuki twice."

"Any records of this 'Burn Knuckle' technique on record?" asked Hiashi Hyuga, walking in his immaculate garden.

"No sir, it appears to be an original knockoff of a general utility technique," said the retainer. "Asuma Sarutobi uses it with his trench knives to charge them with wind chakra."

"Hmm," hmmmed the leader of the Hyuga clan. "So Naruto isn't even a gennin yet, but can access Fire and Wind chakra techniques. Very promising. Where is Naruto now?"

"Naruto and your daughter are together with Iruka and the Hokage as they go over the events of this evening," said the retainer.

"Someone should keep an eye on them, without being an obvious chaperone," said Hiashi. "Who do we have available for such a task?"

* * *

Hinata stood there, one hand pinching Naruto's jacket, and was so quiet and solemn it would be easy to overlook her.

Her Inner Hinata, on the other hand, was singing her little heart out and doing a dance number that Fred Astaire would have likely applauded.

She had just gone from being a quiet little outcast/failure to take part in an operation to foil a plot to destroy the village and steal a scroll of forbidden techniques. A successful operation. That Naruto had hugged her, allowed her to hug him back, and had cried on her shoulder - showing a surprising amount of trust in her.

The Inner Hinata raised a fist heavenwards and yelled triumphantly. Today, it appeared, had been a very good day.

"Ok, now, my turn," Naruto was saying. "What exactly is in me? The Ninetailed Demon Fox?"

"No," said the Hokage.

"What?!" asked Iruka. "But I thought..."

"Something came down from the heavens and crushed the Ninetails in one attack," said the Hokage. "Rather than have it turn its attention to the village - that was sealed inside the child that would become you, Naruto."

"Why me?" asked Naruto.

"You were his son, and it was necessary," said the Hokage. "Much more than that I can't say due to promises made to that individual."

"So what is it, if it ain't the demon fox?" asked Naruto.

"A bird of flame, that's all we know for sure," said the Hokage. "Part of its essence and it's power remains within you."

"Flame?" asked Naruto, looking at his hand.

* * *

Hinata went home, yawning despite her best efforts, being escorted by Kurenai Yuhi.

Before she went though, she sent a plaintive look towards Naruto.

Naruto had left off his trading of questions with the Hokage to turn, hug her, and thank Hinata.

Kurenai had been around for awhile. She was therefore quite amused to see the girl who was ferociously blushing and trying to hide the little smile showing.

Naruto, the loudest ninja. Hinata, the quietest kunoichi. Truly an odd pairing, but she'd known of it ahead of time. She just hadn't expected to see Naruto pick up on it. Her bet would have been that it would take him several years and a direct confrontation to get the clue.

Kurenai continued to walk besides the quietly smiling kunoichi, reviewing what she'd seen. Both had been fairly hesitant and not confident in what they were doing. Hardly surprising. From what she'd seen of Naruto and what she knew of Hinata - neither had a lot of physical contact with another person. Or emotional for that matter. It was to be expected that they'd be very hesitant about the whole thing.

Though why she kept getting pictures of Hinata swinging around lightpoles and skipping through water puddles was likely due to the various body-language clues she was getting.

She HAD been present though because she was a genjutsu specialist and expert on mental attacks. She had watched Naruto Uzumaki and come to several conclusions that she'd have to share with the Hokage.

One being: do NOT seperate Hinata and Naruto for long. There was something almost feral showing up in Naruto's body language. Hinata reinforced Naruto's humanity, or at least that was how she was reading it. Naruto seemed to calm down instead of twitching or flinching as much. Like a wild animal in a cage.

Second, and something she'd buried as soon as she'd realized it, was that Naruto was reacting to things around him by a method other than sight or hearing. In order to form a genjutsu and properly weave it, you had to establish a mental link with your target. This could be done by a number of methods, eye contact or a musical note or something similar.

There was a suspicion, but she'd have to wait until later to check further into it.

"Here we go," said Kurenai Yuhi on seeing the gate to the Hyuga compound. "The sorting for teams will be in two days. Be ready for it."

"Yes, I will," said Hinata with a quick bow towards her sensei.

* * *

"All right, Naruto, Hinata is gone," said the Third Hokage. "Perhaps now we can discuss things more privately." _Not that they don't make a cute couple._

"Privately?" asked Naruto, distracted a bit by the idea of being part of a 'cute couple.'

"Wind techniques and Fire techniques that are NOT normal jutsu," said the Third, groaning a little as he lowered himself to a seat. _I'm getting way too old for this. No matter how strong you are, or how many jutsu you master - age catches up with you eventually._

"I don't know how to explain any of that," said Naruto. "I just do them."

"Which is part of the difficulty with them," said the Third Hokage. "Normally you have to understand what you're doing in order to do it. Tomorrow morning we're going to arrange a demonstration of these talents."

* * *

Sakura stopped as another shopper stood nearby. "Ino? What are YOU doing, just standing there in the street?"

Ino Yamanaka slowly brought up one hand and pointed at something skyward.

"Eh? Why can't you just -" began Sakura as she looked up herself.

Overhead she saw Naruto Uzumaki, with Hinata Hyuga trailing along behind, swooping up into the morning air. It was not simply leaping from building to building. This was slow, graceful, and soaring up above the buildings of Konohagakure without any apparent concern for anything like gravity.

"Oh," said Sakura.

* * *

To Hinata, this was a morning date. As she felt Naruto lifting her up and she followed him into the sky, her heart soared off on its own.

She could look around and see the buildings below her. Gawking passerby. She tentatively waved at a couple of her classmates who were staring up at her, but they didn't respond.

Then it was onward, into the morning air. The smell of foods being prepared as they passed one eatery. They flew over various landmarks, heading towards the Hokage offices, and Hinata glanced that way to see her father and the Hokage as well as a few ANBU with their masks looking her way.

She shifted her weight slightly and felt the odd all-over-support from Naruto shift in response. For a few moments she followed along behind Naruto in his shadow, rather than have the gaze of all those watching directed at her.

_No. No, I must be strong. Like Naruto-kun! I want to walk at his side, not simply follow him._

In response, she shifted her weight again and felt a momentary resistance. Then as before, her position shifted until she flew alongside Naruto. Momentarily bold, her outstretched fingers came to touch lightly along Naruto's.

* * *

"If she blushed any harder I'd expect her face to combust," murmured one of the ANBU members.

"Was I ever that young?" asked another ANBU member in the same hushed tone.

"Hard to remember, isn't it?" said the Third Hokage, smirk evident, as the two flyers approached.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to keep this all secret," said the head of the Hyuga household.

"Because it IS Naruto, keeping any of it secret is not only impossible - but even more likely to cause problems in the future," said the Third Hokage as the two came down. _Not that I don't think Naruto can move a lot faster than this, as he already has demonstrated that he CAN. Is it too much to hope that he's learned at least some measure of prudence?_

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha noticed a couple of the ANBU members leaping from building to building and going in the same direction. That was unusual enough for him to climb up a couple of levels himself.

When one ANBU member ran UP the side of a building, Sasuke saw it and started figuring out how that could be done.

A fourth and fifth ANBU was spotted with the same basic course. Sasuke was at this point quite curious. Today was a day off, tomorrow was the team sorting, so he DID have some spare time.

Besides, it might reveal something his Uncle Genma had done. Better he find out NOW than when it came biting him on his butt.

Uncle Genma of the Village Hidden In The Sticks had claimed to be a distant relative of the Uchiha clan, who was just checking on his nephew. Uncle Genma was a considerable taijutsu expert despite looking like a middle-aged overweight man whose listed occupation was 'moonshiner'. Uncle Genma was also a right royal pain in the butt. It had been HIS suggestion that had started the whole 'Legion of Sasuke Fangirls' going. It had been Uncle Genma who had come up with a "Get A Date With Sasuke" certificate and apparently hidden it somewhere in the Uchiha section of the village. It had been Uncle Genma who had most likely left that brochure about the hidden training ground at 'Sacred Jusenkyo Mountain' hot springs.

It had NOT been Uncle Genma, but instead an Aunt Nodoka who'd shown up at one point, to declare that Sasuke had to be a 'man among men' or she had to cut his head off. Fortunately she hadn't been seen since then, since it had looked likely that she would engage him to half the girls in the civilized world just to make sure there would eventually be an Uchiha heir.

When he'd come to a stop where he'd chosen - it was a partially concealed location on a roof, which overlooked the Hokage's offices. Something was happening over there, and Sasuke was going to make sure it didn't come after HIM.

* * *

Kurenai watched and was amused.

They were getting quite a crowd as Naruto came in for a landing, though that wasn't what amused her.

She understood WHY the Hokage had decided to do this, and why he'd included the ones he'd included. By 'privately' having Naruto demonstrate his new jutsu - he'd efficiently disseminate the version of events and narrative he wanted. By having all the various people watching from concealment, she'd spotted Sasuke Uchiha over on the bakery roof, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno climbing to a position where they could watch Sasuke AND the Hokage rooftop, and the various others - the Hokage could also cut down on the whole torch-carrying-hate-the-Ninetails mob. Not to mention demonstrate to all and sundry that the Third Hokage had a good idea of what was going on and had control of the situation.

That also was not the reason for her amusement.

What had amused her was watching Hinata decide the time was come for her to take her place on the stage alongside Naruto or close to it. Hesitant, yes. Frightened and embarassed, very much so. Probably going over various scenarios and what to say, no doubt. Hinata WAS the type to fuss and bother about timing and getting the words just right. That she ALMOST was holding Naruto's hand as the two came in for a landing was also noticed by Kurenai.

Kurenai smiled and shook her head at the sight. _You go, girl._

* * *

Naruto felt the emotions of those around him, the occasional snatch of thought, and felt like screaming and trying to cover his head from the stimulus.

Then Hinata's hand touched his and he felt her hummingbird-rapid heartrate, her shyness and embarassment, and that same bubbling-over happiness and acceptance.

They landed, stumbling only slightly as the landing occurred. Hinata's was just a little bumpier and she leaned into him to regain her balance. Then stiffened and stepped away again, aware of all the eyes on them.

"So," said Naruto, slipping his cocky mask back on as a wave of amusement from several ANBU members and the Hokage went past him. "That was the flying jutsu. What did you want to see next?"

* * *

Word had spread and quickly.

"Naruto Uzumaki, eh?" said the Kazekage. "Baki!"

"Yes, my lord," said the Sand Village jonin.

"How are the three members of your squad developing?" asked the Kazekage.

"Gaara is ready, even eager, to sate his bloodlust," said Baki. "Our mission to rescue the cat of the Feudal Lord's mistress didn't exactly meet with success."

"Sand coffin burial?" asked the Kazekage.

"Yes, that pretty much sums it up," admitted Baki. "What was left didn't resemble a cat much."

"Kankuro?" asked the Kazekage.

"Pretty much defined by terror regarding his brother," said Baki. "Apparently after Kankuro mentioned that he would have brought the cat back alive, Gaara made a Kankuro Sand Clone and began doing things with it..."

"That explains the request for medical leave," said the Kazekage. "Your thoughts?"

"Kankuro has a very bad case of nerves right now, some time away from Gaara might be advisable," said Baki.

"Temari?" asked the Kazekage.

"Saw what was going on with Kankuro and the sand clone," said Baki. "When Kankuro started screaming she tried to berate Gaara, ended up with her nerve broken and hiding in a hollow tree stump until Gaara had calmed down."

"So she could use a break too?" asked the Kazekage.

"Well, yes, that's true," admitted Baki. "I don't think either of them has slept all that well of late. Something about drifts of sand that spy on them and whisper threats in the night. I haven't seen anything to indicate Gaara is doing anything like that. He tends to be more direct. Though I'll admit using that sand clone and having it pop its own head off and start juggling first Kankuro's head and then Kankuro and Temari's heads. Showing more creativity than I'd come to expect."

"I see," said the Kazekage. "Fine, I'm going to have Gaara assist in some construction projects north of the city. Send Kankuro and Temari by later. I have a mission of great importance for them."

* * *

"Girls," said the old woman to the empty building.

The empty building remained empty as far as the eye could see.

The old woman shook her head in reproach. "Ninjas shouldn't breathe hard after such minor exertions. Also your chakra can be sensed by one who has sufficient experience. All of you - front and center or there will be extra punishment duties tomorrow."

There were three blurs, a loud thump as someone fell less gracefully, and a splash and yelp outside.

Ku Lon sighed at this current crop of kunoichi, wondering if she was paying for the sins of a previous life or something.

* * *

"Do what?!" asked Temari. "You're kidding me, right? I mean, I thought you were talking about me strategizing the situation or maybe an infiltration or something."

The Kazekage shrugged ever so slightly. "Konoha has a problem in that they have TWO kekkei genkai where the bloodline has shrunk to a single individual. Sasuke Uchiha, with the Uchiha clan Sharingan. and Naruto Uzumaki, whose kekkei genkai is apparently some wind or fire jutsu ability."

"Hmph," said Gaara, contempt briefly shadowing his otherwise impassive expression.

"Don't we have some OTHER kunoichi capable of something like this?" asked an exasperated Temari. "I understand that Konoha is about to lose those abilities, and its a shame that no ninja village will have them once those heirs pass."

"Yes, well," said the Kazekage, deciding on another tactic. "I understand that you are extremely bad at seduction."

"That's... true," said Temari, frowning a little.

"Horribly bad at it," continued the Kazekage. "The notes on your file from the Academy..."

Kankuro abruptly made a noise that sounded like trying to snort in laughter.

Temari's frown increased a little.

"...that the only good thing about your attempts at infiltration and seduction was that it managed to amuse the rest of the class," said the Kazekage. "I understand you actually managed to get Gaara to smile... well look at that."

Temari glanced, saw that GAARA was smirking, and went straight to sulking.

"I am looking at other kunoichi who might be able to handle this task, but this would require you to go on a bit of a break," said the Kazekage. "Kankuro could be used to ferry messages with his puppets. Mind you, he'd have to come up with something small, stealthy, and inobvious."

"Oh?" asked Kankuro, getting intrigued now. A challenge to his puppet-making and manipulation skills? Acting as support to his sister? If only it was something she could actually manage.

"I had assumed that this score on your infiltration skill was a mistake," said the Kazekage. "Did you really attempt to make rice and instead made a virulent poison that inflicted the teacher with three hours of projectile vomiting?"

Kankuro again made a noise that sounded suspiciously like trying to hold back laughter.

Temari knew without looking that Gaara had that smirk again.

"RICE? How could you screw up rice that badly?" asked the Kazekage.

"Just you watch," growled Temari, having gone from sulking to embarassed to now gritting her teeth.

"Well, she's very good at her wind jutsu, and she's certainly got considerable taijutsu skills," pointed out Kankuro, now coming to his sister's defense.

* * *

Toltiir had tweaked things a bit, here and there, because he felt that the Phoenix really should have managed such and so. Having one's dark side capable of reaching inside a star and causing a nova was all one thing, but where was the creativity and fun in that? Exploding a star wasn't a big deal after all, they were continually exploding anyway. Sort of. Feeding off of them was kind of wasteful.

Pyrokinesis was actually possible in a universe with ninja who could do things like the Fireball Jutsu. So - the ability to control fire with a certain degree of immunity involved. Not to mention that if Naruto didn't want to kill the individual caught up in his flames, his subconscious would extend that immunity.

Which was why, when he attempted to demonstrate a blast of fire, it stabbed out and enveloped a very startled Kurenai Yuhi.

A moment later, and the fires were gone.

"You weren't kidding when you said you have trouble controlling it," said Kurenai as she lowered her arms from her face. "Eh?"

Several males in the crowd stared. Several women were glad that didn't happen to them.

"Well, at least he has control enough not to burn allies," remarked the Third Hokage with a cough into a fist.

"What the?" asked Kurenai as she checked for burns, it made a lot easier as her outfit had burned entirely away.

"Uhm, sorry?" said Naruto just before Hinata covered his eyes.

"Ahem," said Asuma as he was suddenly next to Kurenai and handing her a blanket.

"Ah," said Kurenai, frowning as she covered herself. Not that she was particularly ashamed of her body, but at least a handful of the teenage boys had passed out from severe nasal bleeding. On an impish impulse, she adjusted the blanket a bit and was rewarded as another young ninja went down.

"Are you quite done?" asked Asuma in a low voice.

"Just getting a little ego-boost," murmurred Kurenai in response.

* * *

Sakura Haruno was puzzled.

She had noticed that over the past year, Naruto had been becoming more distant. Several times he had approached her only to flinch and reconsider what he was going to say.

That he had had a crush on her had been obvious, even if she'd affected not to notice. A crush was so childish after all, not at all like the feelings she had for Sasuke. If anything she'd focussed on his negative aspects, his buffoonery, and her dislike for him all the more because of that - better not to encourage him after all.

Still, that had been odd. The way he'd turned his academic record around and started getting things right had been kind of admirable in a pathetic sort of way. She honestly hadn't noticed that beyond the lessening of noise and idiocy to take away attention from her Sasuke.

One thing had gotten her thinking about it though. Which was that Ino had remarked about Hinata and Naruto making a cute couple.

In a way, it was almost as if she had felt Naruto's affection and admiration for her up until recently. That she was of a non-ninja family and managed so well alongside more established families.

Now - it was almost as if she could feel his regard for her dropping. That he focussed now on the sole girl of the class who had been constantly watching him for years.

Maybe that was it, Sakura decided. Unlike her pursuit of Sasuke, Hinata had found someone who could acknowledge her and care about her. It was not an unrequited affection, though Sasuke would eventually realize who was the perfect girl for him, because it was obvious to her that Naruto wasn't inclined to be cool or aloof to someone who was kind to him.

That must be it. The feeling of loss couldn't possibly be anything else.

Right? Right!

He was an annoyance and a nuisance and nothing else.

* * *

Hinata was outwardly calm, quiet, demure. Hanging in the background without much to say. The tiny little smile on her face, and the way she leaned almost imperceptibly towards the boy at her side spoke volumes to those who knew anything about her.

"Naruto Uzumaki," said Hiashi Hyuga in his most stern demeanor. "We must speak."

"Eh?" asked Naruto, looking around at the various elders, advisors, counselors, and ANBU. "What?"

"We must speak," repeated Hiashi Hyuga, turning and walking away.

That nobody would meet his gaze made him nervous, especially with some of the emotions he was picking up.

* * *

"Huh, this place has great power?" asked Kisame Hoshigaki.

"The sacred mountain's sacred spring, also known as Jusenkyo," said Itachi Uchiha. "Hmmm. The warriors of this place have apparently fled."

"Not much as warriors then," said Kisame with a sharkish grin.

"They're attempting to watch from a distance," said Itachi. "Retreating when we move forward. Interesting."

"Eh?" asked Kisame. "So... it's not cowardice so much as they know they're no match for us anyway?"

"Apparently," said Itachi. "So they're trying to maintain a set distance. I wonder how they knew we were coming."

"Might be the robes," noted Kisame. "You know that some of our fellows have been kind of casual with the body count."

"Hmph," said Itachi, considering that and finding it likely. If they'd heard of some of the excesses that Sasori and Deidara committed, like that one village.

"You thinking about Beachcomber Town?" asked Kisame.

"Yes, apparently it has gotten our reputation about, even if they don't know we're Akatsuki," said Itachi with a slight shrug. "Then they won't get in our way."

"Any idea what it is?' asked Kisame as he looked around. "Some odd power, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's one of the Tailed Beasts."

"That's what we're here to find out," said Itachi as he looked around him with his Sharingan.

"Large hot spring, stones for sitting on," noted Kisame as they continued on. "What are the bamboo poles for?"

"Probably balancing practice for martial artists," said Itachi.

"They look a little flimsy for that," said Kisame. "Huh. Someone left their lunch."

"Yes, I got the impression that they retreated quickly," said Itachi. "There's something odd about the water itself."

"Hmmmm, roast beef, spicy mustard, fresh tomatoes," said Kisame between bites, "slight peppery taste. I hope they stay away, I'd hate to have to kill someone who can make sammiches like this."

"Hmmm," said Itachi, spotting something like a chessboard set up across the hot spring. There was another abandoned lunch there, hastily so. Ice cubes still floated in the drink, which he could clearly see through the mists with his Sharingan. "There's another over there. We might have to go chase someone down just to get a few answers."

* * *

"Achoooo! I don't see why everyone makes all the fuss," said Deidara, griping as he blew his nose.

Sasori eyed the pink lace-festooned hankerchief Deidara was using and thought pleasant thoughts about thrusting various sharp and painful instruments into his partner's body. Those sorts of thoughts being extremely common, Sasori merely reminded his partner of the actual facts of the matter. "You blew up half the town because the waitress brought you a Diet Mountain Breeze instead of a regular Mountain Breeze."

"They were implying I was fat," huffed Deidara.

Sasori gave up.

* * *

"So, Naruto," said Hiashi Hyuga, looking out over the garden. "Hinata has indicated that she finds you interesting."

"Oh, uhm, really," asked Naruto. How was this guy covering his mind in a sheet of ice? His thoughts weren't coming across, and most of his emotions were muted.

"If you are going to pursue a relationship with Hinata, I must inform you of the... problem with women of the Hyuga clan," said Hiashi. "This is under the strictest confidence of course."

"Err of course," said Naruto, who had just caught a flash of embarassment - which seemed just so at odds with the overall picture and his brief meeting of the man before.

"The secret of the Hyuga clan women is that they," began Hiashi Hyuga.

Naruto swallowed nervously as the clan elder paused.

* * *

They called it the Village Hidden Among The Stars, where a meteor had landed long ago.

Actually, the whole thing was kind of silly as far as Toltiir was concerned. So he'd changed things.

It was still called Hoshigakure, it was a valley within a mountain range, and it was property that nobody had really wanted on the border of two other kingdoms. Then the meteor had crashed and things had changed.

Now instead of some chakra-based radiation thing, and a meteor the size of a child's head, the meteor had exploded overhead, with a single surviving chunk driven deep underground.

Instead of chakra amplification though, it was entirely different. Everyone who manifested a ninja power had a single power that they could use - an entire village where no two people had exactly the same talent. If one LEFT the valley though, the power would begin diminishing immediately. Within a month, they'd be forever powerless. Unable to regain those powers even if they spent their whole life never crossing the borders again. If they left and then returned to the village before their power had run out - it would eventually recover. Probably.

That made Hoshigakure enormously powerful but enormously limited. While it was true that Deneb could make plants grow to enormous size, since she couldn't do anything about getting them to market or use it offensively beyond their borders - that meant relying on others. Seven foot long carrots that tasted just like small carrots though, they DID sell. Especially if Altair used HIS ability to slow decay rates.

So Hoshigakure would not figure into the Great Shinobi Nations thing, though they justifiably thought of themselves as pretty darn special and people weren't likely to invade. Any ninjas sent into the area would likely be found and turned back, any armies crushed, but they also couldn't invade anyone else.

Then there was the Land Of Iron and its samurai. Or any number of other groups out there. Pirates, techies, ranchers, martial arts restaurant owners, and so on and so forth.

All of which was beside the point, considering what was going on THERE.

* * *

"The secret of the Hyuga clan women is that they," began Hiashi Hyuga, "is that they mature early and develop fairly... well."

"Well?" asked Naruto.

"Yes," said Hiashi Hyuga, taking a deep breath and letting out slowly. "They develop...well. Oh and that they are sexually insatiable."

"Eh?" asked Naruto, well aware that her FATHER was discussing such with a potential suitor.

"That's not all of course," said Hiashi, his manner suggesting he was talking more to himself than anyone else. "Once they choose a mate, that's it. If you ever show the least bit of affection in return, they'll latch on and you'll never be rid of them."

"Errr," said Naruto, backing away slightly.

"And with the Byakugan, if you ever have an affair - she'll know about that," continued Hiashi.

"Did I leave the stove on or something?" asked Naruto as he backed away from the clan elder who was apparently addressing the rising moon.

"Of course, if she's anything like my wife was, she won't be particularly jealous. No, far worse, she'll join in," said Hiashi. "And if you DON'T have an affair, she might arrange something."

"Uhm, yeah," said Naruto, continuing to inch away.

"By all the gods, the triplet lingerie models!" said Hiashi, clutching his heart. "Not to mention the caramel sauce!"

Naruto twitched, trying not to let his imagination go there. Trying not to ask.

"Or the little chocolate coated malted milk balls," said Hiashi Hyuga. "Are you up to such challenges, young gennin?"

"I don't think so," said Naruto, who had previously thought his Centerfold Jutsu was risque and was now realizing that it might simply remind people of things that caused his imagination to veer over a cliff and crash in some dark abyss.

"Wise, very wise," said Hiashi, nodding. "Very well, Naruto. Try to keep from awakening that monster that is the sex drive of the Hyuga clan females, at least until the proper time and when there are no missions for at least a couple of weeks. Awaken it at your own peril."

* * *

"That's because while things around the Springs might be damaged, even you with your abilities can't destroy the Springs themselves," said the old woman as she poked at the cookfire. "What would be the point of keeping the young ones around here to die needlessly trying to defend easily replaceable things?"

"You heard about the others then," said Itachi. It was not a question, merely confirming something he'd suspected as soon as he'd noticed the area had been abandoned at the first sight of his approach.

"True," said the old woman, now picking up a long spoon to stir the broth.

"Why did you remain then? Expendable?" asked Kisame with a sneer.

"Me? I'm just an old frail woman too slow to be able to get out of the way of such great warriors as yourselves," said the old woman with a chuckle.

"Besides, you're in the middle of making a red sauce and at this stage if you simply left - it'd burn to the sides of the pan," noted Itachi. Not that he bought the 'frail old woman' excuse.

"Well, that too," admitted the old woman.

"The great power that you guard is NOT one of the jinch?riki," stated Itachi.

"Oh my no," admitted the old woman. "Not one of THOSE at all. It's the Spring itself that contains great power."

"Great power huh?" asked Kisame, his sharklike features giving him a great sneer. "If you drink it, does it do anything special?"

"No, drinking it is quite safe," said the old woman. "However, if you bathe in its waters - it will change your life forever."

"Oh?" asked Kisame. "It bestows its power upon those who bathe in it?"

"No," said Itachi. "If it did, they wouldn't have fled at the sight of us."

"You're also making a mistake, but it's a common one," said the old woman, pausing in the stirring of her pot. "We're not here to guard the spring. We're here to guard the unwary FROM the spring."

"I see," said Itachi.


	4. Chapter 4:eye of fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle (aka Kestral)

Chapter Four: Eye Of Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

NOTES: The Mischief Fragment section over at the Anime Addventure was written with the intent on having a little fun with an alternate take on the series. Phoenix Fragment didn't get a lot of response initially, though it was the one i thought had the most opportunity for really messing with the canon. So, it probably won't be continued due to the lack of response. If someone wants to take the story over, just let me know.

* * *

It was simple enough. Walking across water was easy for ninjas of their rank.

_SPLASH!_

Itachi watched as Kisame flopped around briefly, then swam over and hauled himself onto the pavement of the courtyard.

"Do you realize that you're now a girl of about sixteen years age?" asked Itachi.

"What?" asked the girl, blinking yellow eyes. "What are you.... AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Hadn't noticed then," said Itachi.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!" asked Kisame. "I'm SHORT!"

"That isn't all of it," noted Itachi.

"I'm a girl?!" exclaimed Kisame. "Aghhh!"

"You also seem to be a bit more emotional," noted Itachi as Kisame ran around in circles.

Kisame finally calmed down enough to go to one of the mirrors they'd both noticed set up around the spring's outer perimeter. "I'm... cute."

"If you discount the pointy teeth, gills, yellow-tinted skin, green hair, and black eyes, I guess," said Itachi.

"So this is IT, the big power of the sacred spring of Jusenkyo?" asked Kisame. She took out her sword and gave it a few trial swings. "Not exactly something we can use."

"No, though I may have plans for it myself," said Itachi as he idly bent out of the way to avoid a few stray droplets of water sent sailing by Kisame's continued practice.

"Throws my balance off something fierce," said Kisame.

The old woman sent off a deep cloud of smoke from her pipe, looking down from atop one of the fountains. "You needn't worry about getting splashed. Once the water is removed from the pool, it loses all of its properties. Only those who have bathed in Jusenkyo are changed, and once you've been affected - no further effects are visible."

"There a cure?" asked Kisame.

"No," said the old woman. "If you mean in the sense that the effect can be reversed. There is a cure for any remaining gender-identity issues, and time will cure any awkwardness with moving or fighting."

"I think further experiments are mandated," said Itachi.

"Huh, how so?" asked Kisame, examining a slender arm. "This seems pretty useless to me."

Itachi noted how Kisame, whom he'd expected to fly into a rage, was actually pretty calm. Though there was a slight tremor in the limbs indicating some shock involved. Interesting. "Perhaps. I think a visit to Konoha before returning here is indicated."

"Ah," said Kisame, well acquainted with drives for vengeance and payback. THAT made sense.

* * *

Hinata stared. "Did you?"

"Yup," said Hanabi, glancing down at her chest. Which was respectable for a ten year old. "I wonder how much of that was true."

"You think he was telling Naruto that to discourage him?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, but whether it is true or not is something entirely different from motive," said Hanabi.

"Yes, that's true," agreed Hinata as they watched.

"He's got chakra to burn, doesn't he?" said Hinata, eyeing her sister's chosen and weighing what she saw. "He's not good enough."

"You don't see him like I do," said Hinata.

"I wonder if you're seeing clearly," responded Hanabi.

* * *

Naruto was normally fairly confused about a large number of things.

However, with his senses picking up various things from various people, he'd learned a few things recently. Now he could just close his eyes and identify some people around him, and tell where they were by the "feel" of them.

For example there was a slow set of razor-sharp edges which circled around each other. Or a cloud of lazy-seeming light that glimmered sun-bright. Shikamaru obviously. If one went from distance and direction, he was over at the benches near that old playground.

Over there, dark and brooding depths with occasional brighter moods that flitted across the surface. Sasuke.

Not far from Sasuke there was the odd double-image he got from Sakura.

Way over there was Hinata. It was odd, after all the contacts so far - it was as if he could find her easiest of all. He hardly had to search, almost as if he'd grown so used to her mental presence that he was unconsciously keeping track of her.

The Third Hokage was one of those people who were kind of like an ocean. He'd never seen one but he knew the basics from school. You had a lot of fish and stuff in the top portion, and then there was slower and deeper stuff that pushed around in hidden movements.

Well, maybe that wasn't the BEST comparison he could come up with, but comparing it to ramen and broth didn't work even that well.

This was the first time he'd tried something like this. Instead of looking for a specific person, which he'd done the first time completely by accident, he wasn't focussing on anyone in particular.

THERE was something disturbing though. Something dark and nasty and full of poison or something. Whoever or whatever that was, it was dangerous and cold and hateful. It was strong and seemed to react when his attention drew close to it.

That being the case, Naruto kept as far away from the whatever-it-was as he could.

Ichiraku was busy. It looked like Konohamaru was over there too.

Naruto drew in a deep breath, and got ready to try something else entirely new. All by himself as he didn't want to be near anyone else when he tried this.

He was nervous and needed to burn energy after all. Tomorrow morning was the postponed team selection process.

* * *

The gathering of the jonin and the Hokage had come together to discuss their current crop of genin-candidates and the selection of Teams. Most of which had been hashed out ahead of time. One candidate had caused the rosters to be shuffled a bit.

"I think you're making a mistake," said Yuhi Kurenai. "Everyone else might disagree."

"Actually, I tend to agree," said Kakashi Hatake.

"I'm surprised," said Yuhi. "So you noticed it as well?"

"Yes," said Kakashi, inclining his head. "I HAVE been in ANBU after all. One has to be able to observe details. Naruto Uzumaki's entire body language changes around specific people. It might be best for him if you paired him with Hinata Hyuga, but it might tell us more about the firebird sealed within him and how he's developed if he was far away from her."

"So we're to flirt with danger while studying him like some new species of bug?" asked Yuhi, not liking that at all.

"You've been Hinata Hyuga's sensei before, taking her under your wing much as Gai took that boy Rock Lee," pointed out Asuma. He raised his hands up defensively as Kurenai turned a cold look his way.

"I'm just saying I can see both sides of the argument here," said Kakashi. "Yuhi's course is safest, but to get information on the situation is more important."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and adjusted his hat as he looked over the jonin who would be taking over the genin teams. "All right. Let's make sure we all understand the information. Naruto Uzumaki is actually Naruto Namikaze, the son of the Fourth Hokage. At the time of his birth, the Ninetailed Demon Fox attacked our village. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, died as complications of the attack. His father defended our village by intending to seal the Kyubi no Youko in his son."

"Why didn't he just kill it?" asked one of the newer jonin, who knew the summary was mainly for his and his fellow new-jonin associate. Might as well ask now.

"Because even if he managed to kill it, which was hardly likely, it would reform at some point in the future," said the Hokage. "Only if all the tailed beasts could be slain before any of them had been reborn would there be a final death if you tried to kill them unsealed. Though admittedly this is speculation."

"The Ninetails had the power to destroy our village entirely and might have done so within hours," said Kakashi. "The firebird, on the other hand, crushed it. In a single attack."

"Oh," said the new jonin who'd spoken earlier. "So a level of power that was rather excessive."

"Exactly," said Hiruzen. "To be able to bring the Kyubi from raging to a coma in a single attack? Yet we have only a few clues as to what it actually was and what we have now are the indications of what Naruto is coming into as he taps those abilities."

"Fire, obviously," said Kurenai. "He can generate enormously hot flames, yet when he caught me accidently, I only felt a brief intense heat. Not even my hair was burned. He also was able to quench and shape flame, I did manage to see him do that. Conscious control of his flame is another thing altogether. There's also his genjutsu."

"He knows genjutsu?" asked Kakashi.

"Perhaps not, perhaps something merely like that," said Yuhi, frowning. "He seems to know who is around him at any given time. Something like the Inuzaka nose, or perhaps the Byakugan but not sight. Did you notice how he flinches around some people?"

"Especially that Haruno girl," agreed Kakashi, "as well as Sasuke Uchiha."

"Where he seems to relax around Iruka Umino and Hinata Hyuga," said Yuhi. "He doesn't guard his body language very well at all."

"Have you tried using a genjutsu on him?" asked Kakashi.

"No," said Yuhi. "I began when I suspected he might have that talent, and I got this feeling."

"Feeling?" asked Kakashi.

"Call it instinct, experience, or intuition," said Yuhi. "Just the impression it would be very dangerous."

"When the time comes for you to test your genin team, it might be best if you tried that at some point, just to be clear on what that danger is. Only a light and nondangerous one though, just in case. I'd tend to listen to your instincts, but we'll need to know." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "Very well. Is there anything else that needs to be added?"

"The one he seems to calm fastest around is Hinata Hyuga, who will be on my team," said Kurenai Yuhi. "I will try to coordinate so that some time in between missions will be shared by my team and yours Kakashi."

"That will be difficult," said Kakashi, "considering the nature of missions."

"The occasional shared mission might help," said the Hokage, "once they manage to get beyond D rank missions."

"What chakra element does this Naruto possess anyway?" asked the new-jonin.

"His mother was primarily wind, his father was primarily lightning, but with the addition of this bird-of-fire," said Kakashi with a shrug. "So far he's manifested fire and wind that anyone's seen."

"So your team will have the Uchiha, who also has a strong fire element, to possibly run damage control in case Uzumaki runs out of control?" asked the new-jonin. "Wouldn't a water-element user be better?"

"One of the reasons I wanted Hinata on Naruto's team," said Yuhi pointedly. "She's quite likely to be water element when she gets her chakra built to the point she can be tested. There's also one other thing, though I'm not sure it has any relevance."

"Which is?" asked Kakashi.

"Hinata Hyuga has had a massive crush on Naruto for several years," said Kurenai. "Observing them, Naruto has just recently learned of it. Hinata's father, on the other hand, is not likely to know nor approve of it when he DOES learn of it."

"When he DOES, that's going to be a bit messy," understated Asuma.

* * *

"Starting today, you are all real shinobi," said Iruka-sensei, "but you are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Now you will soon get missions to help the village. You will have a jonin as your sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions, which will prepare you for eventual advancement as well as complete those missions."

Naruto tried to listen, though he'd taken his usual seat near the front instead of back with Hinata. He had tolerated being knocked aside by Sakura in her eagerness to get near Sasuke, but he'd felt her coming. Literally. It was kind of his own fault for not getting out of the way.

_Pffft. Three man teams? More people in my way._ was a strong thought from Sasuke, sounding quite clear to Naruto.

_Sasuke-kun, I just have to be on his team!_ went a similarly loud thought from Sakura.

_Please kami, let me be on Sasuke's team!_ went a thought from Ino.

Naruto checked, but it didn't look like any of the other mutters or whispers were spoken aloud either.

"We tried to balance each team's strength," said Iruka sensei after a brief pause.

Naruto blinked. That was only partially true. He felt the discomfort of Iruka, as well as some muttering that would have been under his breath if it had been aloud. Naruto was looking directly at him though, so it wasn't actual spoken. More of that thought-hearing stuff, those inner dialogues he was getting better at making sense of.

Iruka-sensei went through the teams, finally coming to Naruto's. "Team 7. Haruno, Sakura. Uzumaki, Naruto. Uchiha, Sasuke."

"HELL YEAH!" said Sakura, cheering.

_Crap. I'm stuck with a fangirl. How annoying,_ said Sasuke's voice.

_I'm not on the same team as Naruto-kun?_

Naruto let out a deep breath, regretting now that he hadn't sat next to Hinata.

"Team 8," continued Iruka. "Hyuga, Hinata. Inuzaka, Kiba. Aburame, Shino."

Naruto felt Hinata's disappointment and sadness. He looked in her direction, not really consciously, and smiled at her. "Hinata. Good luck!"

Then he had to face his team. Sasuke Uchiha, full of dark tangled thorns. Sakura Haruno, who was happy and bubbling that her would-be boyfriend was on her team.

While he was an unwanted third wheel and not exactly welcome. Great.

Well, he was giving up on Sakura so that was ONE source of conflict that he hopefully didn't have to deal with.

* * *

Kakashi's eye flicked over the three in the classroom. The pink-haired girl, obviously a Haruno as nobody else had that shade naturally, was spending a fair amount of time looking bored. Sasuke Uchiha looked bored, but mainly brooding. The blonde kid, whom he'd seen yesterday flying, was sitting in a full lotus position that was two feet off the ground, concentrating on something with his eyes closed.

Okay, the last one was an indication of how much things had changed recently.

"How can I say this, but my first impression is - I don't like you guys," said the team jonin.

The floating boy fell those two feet to land on his butt. "Okay. You late all the time?"

"Oh, hardly ever," said Kakashi. "C'mon. Let's go to the roof where we can at least get some fresh air."

* * *

"Well, let's start with introductions," said Kakashi. "Just give me likes and dislikes, hopes for the future and such, stuff like that."

"You want to go first?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, you're kind of suspicious," said Sakura, who then made a face for agreeing with Naruto of all people.

"Well, I'm Kakashi Hatake, I have no desire to tell you what my likes and dislikes are. My hobbies are too many to mention."

"So all we got is a name," complained Sakura.

"Let's see, starting with the right," prodded Kakashi.

"Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are -" Naruto paused.

"Quiet little goth girls who sit in the back of the class," teased Sakura, needling the boy who'd had a crush on her for so long.

Naruto looked at her in such a way that Sakura felt intimidated, just a little.

"Yeah," said Naruto after a couple of moments of that silent appraisal. "I want to be Hokage eventually, and be able to protect everyone precious to me. I like ramen. I want to get control over these fire and wind jutsu abilities."

Kakashi nodded. Based on his old records, he would have expected some answer dealing with getting attention. Boy had changed.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha," said the brooding boy. "I have many things I dislike. I don't have anything I particularly like. As for dreams, I have none. I have an ambition however, which is the resurrection of my clan and the slaying of a certain man."

"I'm Sakura Haruno," said the pinkette. "The thing, I mean the person I like is -"

"She likes Sasuke," said Naruto. "She wants to resurrect the Uchiha clan too."

"NARUTO!" yelled a suddenly angry Sakura.

"Hmph, payback is important," said Sasuke with a smirk, scoring one for Naruto however annoying this was..

"What I dislike is Naruto!" said Sakura.

* * *

Getting up early the next day was a chore, but he felt it necessary.

He knew where she was, that she was heading to where her team was, and that Kakashi-sensei would be late. He'd gotten that much off of him when he'd asked about being late yesterday. Late was almost Kakashi Hatake's modus operandi.

"Na-Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata," said Naruto, nodding. "Since we're on different teams and since we probably won't see each other that often. I want you to have something."

"Eh?" asked Hinata, managing to look stricken.

"Here," said Naruto, holding out his hand.

When she finally managed to put her hand underneath his, she wasn't expecting what dropped into her hand. "A key?"

Naruto had already gone through this, trying to find just the right words and rehearse the possible endings. "Look. I kinda know about some of the things at your home."

"Eh?!" repeated Hinata, with even more feeling.

"If you need a place to hang out, or just want to leave a message for me, that's my spare apartment key," said Naruto. "Hey, if I ever get some plants and such, you can come by and water 'em, right?"

"Naruto-kun," said Hinata, staring at the key.

Naruto couldn't help but wince at some of the images he was getting from Hinata, so strong were those memories. All the times she'd gotten hurt and some of the things that had been said to her. All the times when she'd tried to find a place to hide just to deal with things.

"H-hai," said Hinata, closing her hand around the keychain with the little frog dangling from it. Her grip immediately went to white knuckled tightness.

"I hope I see you between missions," said Naruto as Hinata bolted within a cloud of confusing emotions.

* * *

"It's past ten," pointed out Naruto, sitting back and watching the clouds. He was beginning to see why Shikamaru did this. It was actually fairly calming. "So we have to grab those two bells off of you before noon. Against a jonin known as the Copy Cat Ninja or Sharingan Kakashi?"

"You did research?" asked Sakura, acting as if this was a sign of the apocalypse.

"I asked around," said Naruto, not mentioning he'd asked the people over at Ichiraku.

"'Sharingan'?" asked Sasuke, throwing aside his brooding to manage surprised.

"Right, and since I've got two bells here," Kakashi punctuated that by dingling his bells, "one of you gets tied to a post and goes without lunch. Since the person without a bell fails, one of you will definitely go back to the Academy."

"I thought this was supposed to be a team," pointed out Naruto reasonably.

"If you want, you can use shuriken and kunai. You won't be able to beat me without killing intent." Kakashi's lone visible eye looked over the three kids.

"Fine," said Naruto, going off to one of the posts. "Let me know when it's my turn."

"What? You're not even going to try?" asked Sakura in disbelief.

"You haven't been listening to me, have you?" asked Naruto as he went over to the post. "Whatever's going on with the fire and wind techniques? I can't completely control it. Things keep exploding into fireballs. If I go all out I may end up killing someone for real. So, make your tries, and if you can't I'll try then. It's safer for everyone else if I hold back."

"Oh?" asked Kakashi. "Anyone else want to fail?"

"Ready, Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

"Stay out of my way," responded the Uchiha.

"Start!" said Kakashi.

Naruto opened up the book and started flipping through it. "Huh? What the heck is this?"

Somewhere nearby, Sakura screamed as if she'd seen some private vision of hell.

"Damnit! He faked an opening to check my position!"

"'slaked'? What's that mean?" asked Naruto, flipping to another page.

"Uhm, minors really aren't supposed to be reading that series," said Kakashi as he landed nearby.

"I was curious as to what you had in your pouch there," said Naruto, flipping to another page. "Is this even physically possible?"

"What?" Kakashi felt around in his pocket. "How'd you get that?"

Naruto shrugged. "You done with those two yet?"

"They're your team-mates, you should support them," said Kakashi.

"No they're not," said Naruto. "If Sasuke or Sakura wanted to be on a team with me - that'd be fine. They're not though, and I certainly don't want either of them to die because I'm having to fight a jonin. When they're done, I'll give it a try if you insist on doing this."

"What happened to becoming Hokage?" asked Kakashi, idly plucking shuriken out of the air as someone launched them from nearby brush.

"I want to be Hokage, but not at the cost of their lives," said Naruto. "When I can do ninjutsu and not have stuff blow up or catch fire, that'll be good. From what I see of you so far, my taijutsu isn't gonna even make you raise a sweat."

"What would you do," asked Kakashi as he plucked the book from Naruto's hands, "if I was an ENEMY jonin."

Naruto considered that. "First I'd try to get Sakura and Sasuke to back off. Then I'd see exactly how much fire I could bring to bear."

"So you're saying the same thing you were saying earlier, that you're not attacking me because you might hurt your team, even though you say you're not on a team?" asked Kakashi.

"Yeah, pretty much," said Naruto, putting his hands behind his head.

Kakashi leapt back now that Sasuke was charging forward. "Well, then, maybe a genjutsu to entertain you while I take care of Sasuke here."

"A what?" asked Naruto.

"Na-naruto?" said a familiar voice.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto, sitting up and putting something jingly into his belt-pouch. "How did your training go?"

Hinata dropped out of the bushes, kunai and shuriken sticking out of almost every part of her body. "help me."

* * *

Kakashi fought Sasuke for a few moments before his instincts all went flagging danger. Sasuke leaping back, turning, and running without regard to basic evasion tactics.

Sasuke managed three steps before the heat at Kakashi's back went from regular spring weather to where it felt as if someone had just plopped him into one of those industrial grade incinerators.

Kakashi turned, wondering if maybe Kurenai Yuhi had been right and using the Hell Viewing genjutsu had not been a terribly good idea.

On seeing the "dead last" genin, he experienced that "this mission has just gone South in a big way" feeling that he rarely experienced but was still familiar with.

Naruto was standing over ground that was glowing red and sagging, in a pillar of flame, and it looked as if his outer clothes were burning away as Kakashi watched.

Then he looked up and saw the bird of flame expanding out from the pillar.

At which point something happened and he was looking at a ceiling?!

"Nurse, he's awake!" said a familiar voice.

"Kurenai?" asked Kakashi, realizing his voice had come out as a feeble croak.

"You used the Bell Test, right?" asked Kurenai.

Kakashi nodded, wondering what was going on.

Kurenai held up a little string with a bell on it. "Naruto grabbed this when you reclaimed your book."

"Oh," said Kakashi, remembering now the little jingly silver thing that Naruto had put into a pouch just as the genjutsu had started.

"He gave it to Sasuke," said Kurenai, who rummaged in a pouch and held up a lump of metal. "This is the other one. Well, what's left of it."

"Oh," said Kakashi, trying to move and realizing only then that nearly every inch of his body was covered in bandages.

"I warned you about the genjutsu," said Kurenai. "Naruto is going to need training just to get those fire abilities under control. Also his emotional equilibrium."

The nurse came into the room and adjusted a couple of the intravenous feed drip rates. "Five minutes tops. He needs to rest. There's a water bottle with a straw. Sips only."

"Err," said Kakashi.

"Your hair and eyebrows will grow back," said Kurenai, feeling a little guilty pleasure in the panicked look in Kakashi's single visible eye.

Kakashi glanced to the side, trying to convey something.

"Sakura and Sasuke should be released in a couple of days," continued Kurenai.

Kakashi winced.

"Sakura was still unconscious from apparently a genjutsu you used on her as well," said Kurenai. "Sasuke got off with less injuries, but both of them got a bit knocked around from the blast wave."

Kakashi blinked and tried to mouth the word 'blast wave' despite having his mouth covered by bandages.

"That particular training ground though has a five hundred meter crater in it now," said Kurenai. "Did you know that if you apply enough heat to ground, you can melt it into rock? I think they ought to make a pond out of it. Maybe a few koi or something."

Kakashi blinked as he pictured that. Since Naruto had been leaning against one of those three posts, that would mean that they and the lunches were toast.

"On the other hand, technically your genin passed," said Kurenai. "Naruto gave the bells to Sasuke and Sakura, putting the team first. Sakura and Sasuke are a little different, in that they aren't feeling so much team spirit. Right now I don't think they're feeling much more than heavily medicated. So, right now, your team will be temporarily assigned to other teams until you're able to take over again. When the other two are released, they'll be seeing Maito Gai for taijutsu training in the morning. Asuma will handle their mid-day training in chakra control and basic ninjutsu. I'll take them for late afternoon, and I will CAREFULLY teach them something about genjutsu."

Kakashi grunted something.

"Oh, your book was destroyed, also most of your clothes," said Kurenai as she prepared to leave. "Equipment. Hair. Oh, and Naruto snapped out of it on his own before you were completely incinerated. Apparently he realized that Hinata had NOT been killed before he could bring the person responsible to justice."

Kakashi grunted again.

"You were unconscious for three days, if you're wondering how this all got arranged," said Kurenai. "I've been working on Naruto's control and teaching him genjutsu basic defenses, my team could use the work in that regard as well. I'll see you later, Kakashi. Oh, and when you're healed up, the Hokage wants to discuss your judgement in this little test."

Kakashi groaned again.


	5. Chapter 5:wings of fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle (aka Kestral)

Chapter Five: Wings Of Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

NOTES: The Mischief Fragment section over at the Anime Addventure was written with the intent on having a little fun with an alternate take on the series. Phoenix Fragment didn't get a lot of response initially, though it was the one i thought had the most opportunity for really messing with the canon. So, it probably won't be continued due to the lack of response. If someone wants to take the story over, just let me know.

* * *

Naruto knew within a few minutes where he was and why he was there, despite the ANBU having put a hood over his head and leading him around by a circuitous route.

The fear in the air, mingled with hate, was almost overwhelming. If they'd known how much he could tell about his surroundings, no doubt they would have been even more scared.

"Naruto, do you know why you are here?" asked a voice that could be identified as the Third Hokage.

"I lost control when I saw Hinata dying and in pain," said Naruto. "Something slipped out before I got control again."

"We should kill him right now," said a dark presence nearby.

"Why? I'm getting training to control myself. I didn't like doing that myself," said Naruto. "I didn't even know what a 'genjutsu' was - much less how to defend against it."

Spikes of hate, distrust, cold malevolence spiked across his senses.

Then again, there were other feelings there. Amusement from several of those.

"Five hundred METERS across? Bowl-shaped? Lined with a layer of melted rock? Ranging in depth from ten meters at the center to barely the width of one's pinky at the edge?" asked an unfamiliar voice. "Yes, I'd say lessons in control would be beneficial. On the other hand, before anyone suggests being rash, consider the possibilities of using that. As it is, that training area could be modified quite easily for an emergency water supply. Young Naruto, when you get better control of your abilities, I see many missions for you."

"As a weapon of mass destruction?" said the dark spiky ball of negativity.

"Actually, I was thinking construction," said the one who'd talked about training. "That sort of melted rock is difficult to break with fire or earth techniques. Not impossible, certainly, but at least resistant. Heavens, just turning out slabs of it to use as roofing tiles for public buildings could save us enormous amounts of money."

"You'd trust this demon?" asked Darkspikey.

"Not exactly a demon," said one of the amused. Naruto placed the voice as Kurenai - the woman who was in charge of Team 8. "He came immediately and directly to where he knew help was available to recover his team and get them to safety. As it is, he is already learning better control and how to detect and dispel genjutsu so that this does not occur again."

"Save this discussion for when the accused is not present," said Darkspikey. Naruto cocked his head as a name came from one of the others. Danzo?

Kurenai spoke. "Maybe we can call the lake 'Kakashi's Mistake'?"

"Oh, I like that one, let me pencil it in," said the male voice from earlier. _Nara clan?_

"Can we save THAT discussion for later as well?" asked Danzo with an undercurrent of frustration.

"Since the boy doesn't actually know anything about the how, the what or the why, wouldn't it be slightly less of a waste of time to interrogate others involved in this?" asked a rough-sounding voice whose own emotional state seemed more amused than anything else.

* * *

"Kurenai Yuhi, jonin, genjutsu specialist," the scarlet-eyed woman stated as she stood before the group. Unlike the now-sequestered Naruto, she was not blindfolded or constrained in any way. Even the seals placed around the room had been made inactive. "My first direct knowledge of Naruto Uzumaki came when I was approached about being a jonin sensei to a genin team. As most of you know, I took Hinata Hyuga under my wing - much as Maito Gai has taken Rock Lee as a special pupil."

"Why? Does Hinata show special skills with genjutsu?" asked Shikaku Nara.

"This is beside the point, isn't it?" asked Danzo.

"There was a reason to investigate Naruto based on a connection with Hinata, which enters into my observations later," said Kurenai. "What I discovered at that time was that much of his education was deliberately sabotaged to keep him ignorant. This changed slightly when Iruka Umino became a teacher at the Academy, as he has consistently tried to educate Naruto without mis-educating him. In my investigation I discovered that Naruto was dead last in the class up until last year. His grades had slowly improved to credible if still low over that year. However this is also when his ninjutsu began developing problems related to fire."

"So this has been going on for about a year?" asked Shikaku Nara. "Why weren't more safeguards put into place?"

"At first everyone thought it was merely another prank from Naruto, who has likely been resorting to pranks in order to get some attention," said Kurenai. "He was shunned by most of the village, unable to learn why, and had learned not to trust most authority figures."

"You're getting to the point?" asked Danzo.

"Over the past week, I observed Naruto more directly," said Kurenai. "He has calmed down considerably in some respects. He has severe control problems with his use of fire-based jutsu. In fact, fire element keeps cropping up in completely unrelated jutsu. He's much better with wind. I also determined there was something about him that seemed to indicate a danger if one used genjutsu on him. To that end, when I learned he would be under Kakashi Hatake's leadership, I informed him of that danger."

"You determined 'something'?" asked Danzo.

"All of us who have worked in the field under hazardous conditions have learned to evaluate a number of factors immediately," said Kurenai. "It's a combination of factors, and normally we react to it without necessarily pinning down more than a single specific. My area of expertise is genjutsu, and that expertise was mentioned. Kakashi apparently felt he knew better and used 'Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu' on two of his students. Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura behaved normally as far as I could tell later. Naruto, on the other hand, reacted with the results we're having this meeting regarding."

"The 'Hell Viewing' genjutsu," said Inoichi Yamanaka, "causes one to see a vision of a future one fears. Do you have any idea what Naruto saw?"

"He saw the death of Hinata Hyuga," said Kurenai. "Painfully. With the mechanism of having seen her body covered with knives including her eyes pierced. Since he apparently didn't even know what a genjutsu WAS at the time, he took it rather hard."

"Resulting in his already poor control of fire element to literally explode," mused Shikaku Nara.

Kurenai nodded. "I have sinice interviewed the two genin team-mates of Naruto. Sakura was unconscious following the genjutsu used on her. Sasuke was mostly concentrating on Kakashi's bell test but saw Naruto's berserk button going off."

"'Berserk Button'?" asked Danzo.

"Different terms are used for the same concept," said Kurenai with a shrug. "Many people have a boundary they will normally not go beyond, save when something personal pushes them beyond rational behavior."

"So any enemy who wants to turn Naruto into a weapon only has to hurt this Hyuga girl," said Danzo thoughtfully.

"Possibly, yes," said Kurenai. "I am still investigating."

* * *

"So you're Sasuke Uchiha," said the old man in the theatrical outfit. Looked like he'd just stepped off the stage of a Noh play or something.

"Yes," said Sasuke, focussing on the man and shifting on the stone bench uncomfortably. "You get called to this thing too?"

"Yes, I'm here to inspect something about Naruto and report on it, S-class secrets though," said the man. "Jiraiya's the name."

"Ah," said Sasuke, distracted a bit by medications and lingering pain and not making any further connections immediately. "So what was that with Naruto anyway? I'd heard he had been having trouble with fire jutsu before, but that was -"

"Your family has the Sharingan, the Hyuga family has the Byakugan, Naruto has something different," said Jiraiya, neither lying nor giving away secrets.

"I see," said Sasuke, concluding that the "dead last" had some sort of kekkei genkai relating to fire and wind. That made sense with what he'd seen this past week. "And he's just coming into it?"

"That happens with a lot of blood limits," said Jiraiya. "Some are active from an early age, a number only crop up in the teenage years or when they're in their first real battle. How are the injuries?"

"Minor," said Sasuke. "Burns on my back, mostly it was being picked up and thrown by the blast wave. I impacted a tree at one point."

"And your other team-member?" prompted Jiraiya.

"She was prone at the time, under a genjutsu," said Sasuke. "She was pulled out of a tree by the dog-boy."

"You make it sound like it's her fault," noted Jiraiya.

"Rabid fangirl, useless," summed up Sasuke. "So, you can't tell me anything about Naruto? What about my brother?"

"Also secret," said Jiraiya, thoughtfully. Getting someone skilled to stick next to Naruto might be handy, and this was all true anyway. "Though I can tell you something. He's with a group of people now."

Sasuke stared, incredulous. Someone actually KNEW what was going on with his brother? He'd asked the question without expecting an answer at all, just on impulse.

"Remember, we never had this conversation," said Jiraiya with a warning look towards Sasuke. "You're Naruto's friend, right?"

Sasuke would have professed that he liked rabid fangirls and eating slugs if it would get him more information. "Well, sort of. He considers himself my rival, I consider him a sort of comic relief sidekick."

* * *

"Yes," said Shino Aburame as he stood in the center of the bright lights. "We had just completed the teamwork test when Naruto Uzumaki arrived. He was disheveled and his jacket was on fire. He was quite agitated as well. He immediately informed our sensei of the training accident and led us back to where his companions were. From there we went to the hospital where we waited until word of their condition was announced."

"I see," said one of the figures, the area where they were seated darkened now while bright lights shone upon the two genin. "Anything you want to add to this, Kiba Inuzuka?"

"Not particularly," said Kiba. "Though..."

"Yes?" asked another one of those in shadows.

"Do you suppose there's something going on with Hinata and the dope?" asked Kiba, his voice indicating how he thought that unlikely.

"It DID seem that the boy drew comfort from her presence and that she drew confidence from his," noted Shino.

"Yeah! That's what it seemed like," said Kiba, sounding a little less uncertain.

"That is NOT the subject of this inquiry," said one of the men in shadows.

"I dunno, it sounds more interesting than the official reason for this inquiry," said another.

"It has no relevance at all," said the old-sounding voice.

"Look," said a particularly calm voice that Shino raised an eyebrow on hearing, "the evidence has been obvious so far. The problem was a lack of control, and Kakashi apparently disregarding the advice of an expert. Steps are being taken already to rectify the problem, and at the end of that process - can be evaluated for effectiveness at that time."

"I still say we should simply kill the boy," said the voice that had been protesting earlier.

"I disagree, it would be wasteful," said the calm voice that Shino had recognized.

"Shouldn't Kakashi Hatake be here?" asked the protester.

"He's still confined to a hospital bed," said one of the others. "How about we call it Lake Baka?"

"No," said the old voice, sounding particularly vexed.

"Lake Kakabaka?"

* * *

Naruto didn't exactly feel comfortable as the old man ignited flames on the tips of two of the fingers of both hands.

There was a stabbing pain as the fingers slammed into his stomach.

"Good, just hold still a moment," said the old man, who then stepped back and examined the seals as they faded away. "That should do it."

"You're saying this will help?" asked Naruto, blinking back tears as that hurt rather severely.

"The firebird was sealed away with an eight-trigram seal, the Shiki Fuujin," explained the old man. "This four-element seal is something I came up with specifically for you as I went to research the firebird and see what I could find out."

"So, what do you know?" asked Naruto.

The old man sat back on one of the benches in the room and unscrewed his canteen, taking a drink before replying. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Naruto pointed at his belly. "If I'm the jailor, shouldn't I know what I'm jailing?"

The old man smiled at that. "Point. I'm the great Jiraiya, Toad Sage, and I know how to shake down sources. Unfortunately, there is absolutely NO information about that prisoner in any of the usual sources. No library or researcher that I've run into has ever heard of a Twelve-Tailed Phoenix."

"So you didn't hear of anything?" asked Naruto, wondering why the build-up if the answer was "I don't know."

"I finally went to a rogue-nin I've heard of," said Jiraiya. "Whose village was destroyed back in the last war. Hard to get ahold of, but an information specialist. If you can meet his price, he can find out about nearly anything. He can find out things that nobody else can. Of course, since people often don't want their own secrets found out - the guy's really hard to find unless he needs work."

"And?" asked Naruto.

"The Twelve-Tails is not one of the normal Tailed Beasts," said Jiraiya. "It is a fragment of an entity outside our universe entirely. I also have a name, it called 'the Phoenix Force' or simply 'Phoenix' - more information will be given me when it is available."

"The 'Phoenix'?" asked Naruto.

"A mythical bird that is born and dies and is born again in flames," said Jiraiya. "Though if you've got one in you - not quite so mythical as once thought."

Naruto frowned, he was still getting feelings off of this Jiraiya but it seemed muted somehow.

"In any case," continued Jiraiya, "I'll have to report on the success of this. How about it, can you still use fire and wind jutsu?"

* * *

"-and so I had him demonstrate the basics to me, one at a time," said Jiraiya to the Council and assembled jonin. "He has immense amounts of chakra, even without trying to draw chakra from his prisoner. He has strong affinities for fire and wind, is terrible at water and earth. You also need to watch out for his shadow clones as some of them are fire clones and explode when you disrupt them."

"Yes, Maito Gai discovered that during a training run," said Kurenai from her seat. "Not that much damage from one, but if he ever got it in his head to throw a thousand explosive clones at an obstacle."

Many winces occurred at the thought.

"Suzaku Pond?"

"Not now, Nara-kun."

"Ahem," said Jiraiya. "Look. The kid has potential. The seal will hold the vast majority of that excess power back, but he still has freaking immense chakra coils and reservoir. He's still got at least two elemental affinities and may be able to access a third. At genin? He's training with Maito Gai in taijutsu from 4am to 9am. By 10am he's recovered enough to be with Team 10 and learn basic ninjutsu."

"He starts out still tired, but by noon he's doing better," said Asuma. "I hope that seal works well, he wastes a lot of chakra just trying to do basic stuff."

"After another hour between classes, he's been visiting my group," said Kurenai. "He's really no good at genjutsu himself, but he HAS developed that dispel."

"Yes," said the Sandaime Hokage. "I'm still getting reports on that."

"How far away were the effects felt?" asked Kurenai. "Last I heard it was confined to the village."

"It was relatively minor by the time it reached the limits, but we determined that two safe areas had their Veils disrupted," said the Hokage. "So that was about three kilometers."

"It also is apparently painful to those in the immediate vicinity with an active dojutsu," commented Hiashi Hyuga drily.

"Well, it's a good thing it takes him a few moments to prepare that technique then, isn't it?" asked Kurenai. "There are higher level genjutsu that wouldn't be so easily dispelled by such a chakra wave."

"On the other hand, with those chakra reserves, if we can get him to learn enough self control - he HAS expressed some interest in learning medical jutsu," noted Asuma.

"So... recommendations?" asked the Hokage.

"I'd advise continue Naruto's training while we judge the effects of the extra seal," said Jiraiya. "Sasuke will be ready tomorrow, and the next day Sakura can join them."

"I'm not sure the other two will be up to that level of training," pointed out Kurenai.

"So give them rest breaks," said Jiraiya with a shrug. "If anyone gives them trouble for taking it easy, point out that they were just released from the hospital. Oh, and before I forget - I've already told Naruto to explain things regarding his 'prisoner' as being of a kekkei genkai from his mother's side. Something he doesn't know all the details about since he's the only one of his line still alive."

"What about Kakashi?" asked Asuma. "When is he going to be available to take his genin back? Or WILL he take them back? They didn't actually pass the test."

"Naruto felt excluded from the group, but still put the safety of his team first and executed the mission," pointed out Kurenai. "Sasuke Uchiha apparently tried to accomplish the stated mission objective, and then attempted to get out of the blast radius when things went bad."

"What about Sakura Haruno?" asked Asuma.

"She had very good grades in the Academy," said Kurenai with some hesitation.

There was a brief silence while everyone waited for the jonin kunoichi to say more.

"I have an alternative idea for pinky," said Anko with a grin. "Give her to me for a month while Scarecrow heals up. I'll whip her into a PROPER kunoichi."

"Trained by you? I'd expect you to make her a very IMPROPER kunoichi," retorted Hiashi Hyuga.

"Why thanks, you actually can say something nice about someone else after all," said Anko with a nod towards the elder.

"Did Hiashi Hyuga just make a joke?!" whispered Kurenai to Asuma.

"World must be coming to an end," whispered back Asuma.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha frowned as he got up the next morning and made his way to the training ground frequented by Team Guy.

The talk with Jiraiya, whom he now realized that despite appearances was one of the Leaf Legendary Shinobi, had borne unexpected details.

So Itachi was with a group, and that group was after people like Naruto. People who were after odd bloodlines with special abilities.

Naruto's bloodline, for whatever reason, was on the list.

Sasuke made a face. That meant that wherever Naruto went, he would go too. It wasn't like Naruto was dead last or useless anymore. He'd gotten the damn bells, put the jonin who'd told them "to come after him with killing intent" in the hospital, and apparently impressed someone enough that they were all getting advanced training.

No, Naruto was apparently not useless. He wasn't Sakura. Honestly, academic excellence and practical deadweight. Well, maybe he could have a talk with the jonin and get someone swapped out with her. Maybe they could get Ino and Sakura on the same team and they could go off and be rabid fangirls without a clue somewhere together?

Sasuke found himself smiling at the thought and quickly abolished the expression.

If the old guy was right, then Itachi being part of a group meant something else. He'd need help. His old image had been of finding his brother and getting into one-on-one combat and avenging his clan. Itachi being part of a group of S-Class Missing-Nin made things different. He'd need someone to deal with Itachi's allies while he went after Itachi himself.

Getting to the training site, he saw Naruto fighting some guy in green spandex?!

* * *

_previous day:_  
"HALT!" Maito Gai called out, making a slashing motion. "Where did you learn taijutsu?"

"Uhm, the Academy?" said Naruto. He'd been aware of the taijutsu-masters at the Academy showing him 'special' stances and kata from the rest of the class.

"Whoever taught you to fight like this should have their legs tied together and be forced to run through the Forest Of Death on their hands," decided Gai.

"I'm doing something wrong?" asked Naruto.

Maito Gai shook his head. "Your stance is all wrong. I have watched you for the past two hours and have come to a simple conclusion. We have to start over. Your jutsu are mainly wind and fire, correct?"

"Yeah," said Naruto, holding up a fist and surrounding it with flame. "My 'Burn Knuckle' jutsu seems to add a bit to punches, but I don't want to use it in sparring."

Gai nodded. "Lee? You just increased your weights recently. Do you still have the old ones?"

"Yes, sensei," said Lee, rummaging in his pack.

"Good, leave them out, then take a cool-down run around Konoha. In the meantime I am going to start Naruto on a new style of fighting," said Gai. "Naruto, you'll wear these weights around your ankles and wrists as you go about your normal activities. This will help develop your strength and stamina."

"A new taijutsu style?" asked Naruto. "What's it called?"

"Bak Mei Style Wu Shu," said Maito Gai with a grin. "Perhaps mixing a bit of Dragon Style in. We'll have to see if you're up to the training."

* * *

_today:_  
Sasuke stared at the scene playing out.

"STOP!" yelled an older guy, striding forward and shoving Naruto's arms and legs around like he was a mannequin in a clothing store window. "Like THIS!"

Naruto held the pose briefly, obviously trying to remember it.

"Lee, offense. Naruto, defense. Begin. And STOP. Do you see the difference?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess," said Naruto.

"What's going on here?" asked Sasuke.

"Gai-sensei is helping correct my problems in taijutsu," said Naruto.

"Try again," said Gai. "Begin."

"My taijutsu doesn't need any work," said Sasuke confidently.

"Yes, I have heard the Uchiha genius is quite gifted," said Gai. "However, you can assist the other genius in practicing your taijutsu and sharpening the edge of your skill."

"Oh?" asked Sasuke.

"Yes," said Gai, making a 'follow me' gesture. "Have you heard of Neji Hyuga? He was Rookie Of The Year for the year prior to you. It is almost fate that you two should further your skills together."

* * *

"Lee and I practice the Strong Fist style," said Gai, having led the group to an area where logs had been spread out to use as seats. "The Leaf Village style taijutsu, while effective, is a set of compromises in order to be taught to everyone. Individual styles fit better to a specific individual and after having viewed your performance over the past two days - I've had to revise things accordingly."

"So, what are you saying?" asked Naruto.

Gai-sensei looked over the various members of his own team, as well as the two members of Team 7 present. "Two things that I wanted to bring up. Not only would fitting a specific taijutsu style to the individual increase your ability in melee situations, but also with other fighting arts. There IS omething else I want to bring up while we have the number of sparring partners we do now."

Neji looked bored.

"You are all genin now, but all of you plan to increase your skills and ranking," said Gai. "When you get to jonin rank though - you will have to excel in several different fields. Jonin must be able to not only handle but shine in a variety of situations. The exception is a tokebetsu jonin, who are experts in a single field. True jonin must have excellent taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu. They must be able to assess a battlefield in an instant, make and change plans as quickly as conditions on the battlefield change, and have a number of other skills that they can bring to the betterment of our village."

"As you say, we're still genin," said Tenten.

"You haven't gotten the measure of your growth yet," said Gai, "but I want you to keep in mind what weapon specialization you'll eventually go for. Mind you, most shinobi seem to go with the kunai as a multipurpose tool that can be concealed. Not all though, and sometimes having access to a different weapon can be an advantage in the field."

"Sword," said Sasuke without hesitation.

"Eh? That quickly?" asked Gai.

"My family has used swords, I've trained extensively with swords," said Sasuke.

"Two handed, one handed, straight or curved?" followed up Maito Gai.

"Curved sword, one-and-a-half style," said Sasuke.

"Okay, so you already know that much," said Gai, letting it go.

"Why not just beat 'em down with taijutsu?" asked Naruto.

"Because sometimes you're going to need to take out an opponent quickly and quietly?" offered Tenten. "Though I think that sticking with ONE weapon is just silly."

"You excel at a wide variety of weapons skills," agreed Gai. "You are a weapons-mistress in fact. If anything, you excel best at thrown weapons with your accuracy. Which is why I want you to assist with Lee and Naruto's training in finding them a weapon that each of them is best suited for. Neji is a practitioner of the Gentle Fist style - and using a weapon would actually be detrimental for him MOST of the time. I would still prefer you learn a melee specialty weapon though for when your chakra is depleted or you simply can't use it."

"Why would I be unable to use it?" asked Neji.

"For one thing - there's a type of chakra specialist referred to as a 'sensor,'" said Gai. "They can automatically tell when strong chakra is present and the more sensitive ones can detect your chakra from miles away. To actively suppress your chakra so that you could approach such an individual would be difficult normally, completely impossible if you were to fight using the Gentle Fist. There was one such recently spotted by a patrol near our village, which is actually what prompted this discussion."

"Hmph." Neji clearly didn't seem to think it likely.

Tenten got a look in her eye that practically twinkled, her enthusiasm leaking out despite her trying to hold it in. "Find them fitting weapons, eh?"

"Can we make mine fire-resistant?" asked Naruto, edging a little away from the 'weapons mistress' as she was giving off an odd vibe.

"That will be for later," said Gai. "For now, I think it would be best for a different set of sparring. Neji, I think Sasuke would be an interesting match for you."

Neji snorted.

Sasuke concealed the spike of anger. "Dismissing me so quickly?"

"You are not a challenge," said Neji, his voice showing a bit more than a trace of contempt. "If you fight me, you will lose. It is fate."

"Don't underestimate me," indicated Sasuke, not concealing his irritation now.

Neji made another small contemptuous noise.

* * *

"Another request from Sasuke Uchiha to trade his team-mate Sakura Haruno?" asked the Third Hokage.

"Let's see," said the chunin, "this makes the fifteenth he's tried to file."

"At least he's down to one-a-day now," noted the Hokage.

"He's branching out," said the chunin, reading the paperwork. "Who's Ayame anyway?"

"A cook and waitress at Ichiraku's," said the Third Hokage after a moment's consideration.

"I really hope Sakura does better when they're actually on missions," said the chunin. "That might stop this."

"On the other hand, if she does as poorly on this as she did on the Bell Test, we might actually have to send her back to the Academy," said the Hokage, shaking his head. "She lasted less than two minutes?"

"Apparently she felt that Naruto slacking off was a personal affront and therefore wanted to demonstrate her ability before Sasuke," said the chunin. "I interviewed all parties involved after the fourth transfer request."

"Was that the one where he was requesting Clucky The Battle Chicken?" asked the Hokage.

"No sir, that was the Log," said the chunin.

"Oh yes, I remember that now," said the Hokage. "So, is Anko still wanting to train the girl?"

"I thought she was joking," said the chunin.

"Well, we'll just consider taking her up on that after they've gotten a few D-Rank missions done," said the Hokage.


	6. Chapter 6: Fire Ripples

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle (aka Kestral)

Chapter Six: Flame ripples

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

The sparring match between Neji Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha would have disappointed anyone who'd expected the Last Uchiha to make a spectacular showing. Fresh out of the Academy and a brief stay in the hospital, and in a taijutsu match, Sasuke lasted roughly four seconds.

"Weak," pronounced Neji.

Sasuke got up and tried again.

"Pathetic," summed up Neji.

Sasuke got up a little slower and tried again.

"You do realize, of course," said Neji as he stood over his opponent, "that if I unleashed even a fraction of my skill with the jyuuken - all your chakra points would be closed and you would be dead."

Sasuke growled as he tried to pick himself up again and realized he had some serious muscle cramps in both legs.

"Enough," said Maito Gai, stepping in. "Sasuke Uchiha, you need to recover from your hospital stay and improve your performance. Fortunately, I know of some methods for that. However, we're out of time for today's sparring. You have an hour before Asuma will be teaching you and Naruto additional ninjutsu."

Sasuke nodded at that. After all, if it were an all-out fight he would have kept the Hyuga at bay while blasting away with fire jutsu. Right?

"C'mon, Sasuke," said Naruto, gesturing. "Ichiraku's has a lunch special."

* * *

The training with Asuma had proved to be interesting.

"The main thing with using ninjutsu in battle is having a strategy, and being able to adapt that strategy on the fly," said Asuma. "You have to have experience with your techniques, getting them down to the minimum time to run through the hand-seals, and the better you are at a particular jutsu - the more uses you'll be able to put it to. All the practice and finesse you have on a particular technique though isn't as important as to the timing and planning behind it."

"I thought having a wide variety of jutsu would better," remarked Naruto.

"No," said Asuma. "You're not alone in thinking that, but it's not true. You only have so much time in every day to practice and get the best performance out of your moves. Look at my students. Each has a particular technique that their family specializes in, with higher level variants they've developed and refined. They also work together well, their styles meshing to allow them to deal with many threats and types of missions."

"Ah," said Naruto, looking uncertain about that.

"Your own abilities, for example," said Asuma. "You have peculiar wind techniques, and Sasuke has fire element. Wind supports and strengthens fire, so Sasuke would be even stronger with your support."

Sasuke blinked at that, glancing at his team-mate. Stronger was a good thing.

"So they might work out a combination attack in order to take down particularly powerful targets?" asked Shikamaru, racing ahead with strategies in case he ever worked with Team 7 on missions.

"That's getting a bit ahead of things, but yes," agreed Asuma.

* * *

"Do we really need weapons?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke grunted something that sounded like agreement.

"Asuma-sensei has trench knives, Gai-sensei has nunchaku, Kurenai-sensei uses kunai, but I've also heard she's considered A-Rank with punch-daggers. Kakashi-sensei was in ANBU and they typically use kunai and ninjato," said Tenten as she led them to a store.

"I don't have much money you know," said Naruto uneasily.

"So we find a weapon you like, get a wooden practice version, and you buy the real one later," said Tenten, waving off the point. "You'll just be buying a general version anyway, not a customized version. Which you really SHOULD when you get to sixteen or seventeen anyway."

"That your father owns a weapons shop wouldn't be at all why you're trying to sell us on something like that, would it?" said a smirking Sasuke.

"No, not at all," chirped Tenten. "Off-the-rack weapons are like off-the-rack clothes, you never get the best fit. Ahhh. Here we go. Hi hi, Poppa!"

Both Naruto and Sasuke glanced towards the proprietor sitting behind a desk, who waved back without looking up from his newspaper.

"Watch your head," said Tenten a moment before Naruto's forehead cracked into a hanging display.

"Since you like swords," said Tenten, leading the two towards a display, "take one of these and we'll head towards the practice targets. I've got to see your swing."

Sasuke took one in the middle, and Naruto had tried to grab the largest only to have Tenten insist on a smaller one.

Sasuke eyed the targets after they'd reached them, settled into a stance and used the basic four stances he'd been taught. He was quite a bit taller than he'd been then, so he had to adapt a little.

Naruto revealed that he had NO weapon training to speak of.

"The katana and its relatives are all finesse swords," explained Tenten, taking the wooden practice sword and demonstrating three quick variations on Sasuke's stances and attacks. "Speed and accuracy are what you want with those types of weapons."

"A sword's a sword, right?" asked Naruto, who then flinched at the glare from the tomboyish girl.

"A katana is a finesse style of sword," repeated Tenten, keeping the glare up on Naruto. "A zanbato is a sword that's a strength style - crushing and tearing through resistance. An epee or rapier is a speed style of sword - doing not so much damage in a single attack but meant to be used repeatedly to bleed out an opponent and then deliver a finishing final thrust. Each is used in different styles and fighting with one doesn't mean skill with the others."

"So..." said Naruto, having gotten images in his head of each sword and getting the very strong image of Tenten USING each one on him for DARING to suggest all weapons were the same, "what kind of weapon would you suggest for me?"

"You're not subtle, your strength is about average for genin," said Tenten, her anger snapping abruptly off as she considered the question. "Probably not a sword. Chain weapon - no. I'd expect you to beat yourself senseless with nunchaku."

Sasuke snorted in amusement but quickly schooled himself back to bored indifference.

Tenten was still considering. "How's your accuracy with missile weapons?"

"What accuracy?" asked Sasuke before he could stop himself.

"Teme," growled Naruto.

"Not good, I take it," pondered Tenten. "Any ideas of what kind of weapon you'd want?"

"Something fireproof," said Naruto.

"Come here," said Tenten, turning around and leading the two off. When she passed the counter and went in another direction she waved to her father. "Hey, Dad! Naruto's going to show me how much fire he can pull. We got any scrap in the hopper?"

"Sure," said the man behind the counter. "Let him knock himself out."

"Uhm," said Naruto nervously.

"We take in scrap metal, buy back used weapons, melt it down and recycle it," explained Tenten as she led them off to an enclosed yard with a massive fire-brick chimney. "I saw the crater you left behind. Now I just want to see how much you can shove into it when you try."

"I dunno," said Naruto, a little nervous about this.

"See these?" asked Tenten, tapping symbols adorning the bricks. "Seals to help contain the heat. If you can do this, my Dad might be able to get your team the occasional mission to melt down scrap. Or maybe he can just hire you directly for it every so often. This is also to see how hot you actually get it and what kind of materials your weapon would need."

"Huh," said Naruto looking at where there was a bunch of scrap metal in a holding area, and a trough under that to channel something over to an area with a rectangular reservoir. There was an iron door stained with seals, currently open, where the scrap metal had been loaded.

Tenten tapped Sasuke on the arm, then led him over to behind a small wall at one end of the yard. "Okay, whenever you're ready - let her rip."

Naruto shrugged, frowned, and began pulling on the strength within him. This time he was TRYING to burn something and as he understood it - the girl wanted him to try hitting just the pile of scrap metal there.

* * *

Sasuke had only seen glimpses of what had happened back during the bell test, as his attention had mainly been on beating their jonin instructor.

Seeing the dobe putting his hands out towards the metal, he was interested in how fire appeared without any hand-seals being performed. So it WAS some sort of kekkei genkai?

An almost lazy trail of fire reached out and touched the metal, doing nothing perceptible.

"Is THAT all you got, dobe?" asked Sasuke.

"Kuso," cursed Naruto who concentrated harder, muscles in his back and shoulders clenching.

_FWOOOM!_

Fire enveloped the entire chimney and the scraps of metal.

"Concentrate on the scrap!" called out Tenten over the roar of flame.

Sasuke could see quite clearly over the wall, Naruto's body shaking as the amount of fire slowly contracted and grew constantly hotter.

The metal went to dull red, then rapidly got brighter until it softened and sagged and then finally went to red and yellow dripping down the chimney.

_That sealing of his abilities that old guy was talking about,_ realized Sasuke. _It must be taking a lot to overcome that. Does that mean that the Sharingan can be sealed? Hmph. Not as quick as my Fireball Jutsu, but more intense._

Sasuke put aside considerations for the moment as he considered how to best coordinate efforts with his own fire-based techniques.

Naruto was already shaking and beginning to slump so what he was doing was apparently very difficult. Probably not be able to keep it running for long.

Finally Naruto slumped and grabbed his knees with his hands, gasping for breath.

Sasuke saw Tenten move and was surprised to see how hesitant the girl was in approaching and then passing Naruto. He glanced to the side at a movement and saw the girl's father had joined them.

Sasuke joined Tenten after a few moments, wanting to see what had occurred.

The bricks glowed with heat, clearly visible through the shimmer of heated air. The scrap metal that had been piled up in the catch-bin was now a molten puddle that slightly overfilled the catch basin.

The father spoke up. "Let me know if he ever manages to get better control on that."

* * *

"Let's avoid the chain weapons," said Tenten an hour later.

"Why?" asked Sasuke.

"Choji would be good for a chain weapon," said Tenten, sitting at the counter of the store and considering. "Both of you are fairly strong, but it's mainly strength and mass that helps with a chain weapon. Being able to grab opponents and pull them to you, tangling weapons, things like that. It's also pretty specialized. The problem is Naruto. He's short and kind of scrawny."

"Gee thanks," said Naruto.

"Big feet and hands," said Tenten's father.

"Excuse me?" asked Sasuke and Tenten together.

"Blondie here," said the proprietor, jerking his thumb at Naruto as if there were any other blond ninja anywhere near. "He's gonna hit a growth spurt and get taller. Probably a lot taller."

"Unless he does something stupid like only eating ramen," said Tenten, indicating she HAD heard about Naruto's eating habits.

"I don't only eat ramen," grumbled Naruto.

"Hmmm," hmmmed Tenten. "Maybe a spear or other polearm. Combined with your kage bunshin, that means you could set up traps or formations using spears."

"Uh huh," said Naruto, wandering the shop when something caught his eye. "Hey, what about THIS?"

* * *

She was the weakest member of her family, the constant disappointment of the main branch.

Except she was not as complete a failure as she had previously thought.

She'd admired him for years. He never gave up. No matter how often he failed, no matter how badly life tried to beat him down - he would keep trying.

And his eyes - his blue and expressive eyes so unlike the eyes of those of her family. Those blue depths that could sparkle with mischief or show fleeting pain and sadness only to bounce back and gleam with determination.

Hinata felt that she could lose herself in those eyes. As a point of fact, she frequently did.

Her family was dark and gloomy, stoic and strong. They could be quick to anger, and when that anger was stirred it could last a long time.

Naruto-kun was not dark and gloomy, nor was he stoic. His smile was so bright she felt depression melting off of her when it was turned her way. His anger, on those rare occasions it surfaced, was like a summer storm. Fierce and sudden, but then over just as quickly as it arrived.

She wasn't a disappointment anymore, not completely anyway. She had helped Naruto to expose a threat to the village. Her father had actually almost SMILED at her.

She'd known for years that Naruto-kun had his flaws. He didn't always succeed, his mouth sometimes seemed to run ahead of his judgement, sometimes he was loud when quiet would serve better. There was his... prisoner. No, Naruto-kun wasn't perfect.

When his mask had fallen away, as it had on a couple of occasions over the years while she'd watched - she'd seen the loneliness. She'd seen the sadness. She'd wanted to step forward on more than one occasion but her nerve had always failed. She'd seen all the things that could have gone wrong. She had only seen the failure that was always what she had managed to accomplish.

Now though, she knew. He COULD accept her as a friend. He would NOT laugh at her. He was NOT going to be mean to her.

He might not 'love' her, but she could feel from him when they were close - that there he had a serious case of 'like' going.

Hinata felt that there were worse starting positions she could have had.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" asked Iruka Umino as he approached the jonin at the training grounds.

"Watch Hinata," was Kurenai's reply.

"What am I watching for?" asked Iruka.

Kurenai frowned briefly as she considered how best to put this. "You were her teacher for many years. Do you see anything different?"

Iruka looked at the young girl sitting on a log as the two boys of her team practiced their taijutsu. "She's not wearing as much clothing as normal." Normally she wore bulky jackets and similar clothing. Here she was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of her usual leggings but ones that weren't quite so large.

"She's not hiding in oversized clothing, you mean," said Kurenai. "What else?"

"She's not slouched over on herself," said Iruka as he watched, then shrugged ever so slightly. "I had a large number of students, and I didn't pay much attention to her. She did her work and was very quiet. She didn't seem to care for personal attention either."

"I'm a genjutsu expert," said Kurenai. "I've also worked as an infiltration specialist. It's handy to understand something of how people's minds work in both fields."

Iruka nodded to show he understood.

"Hinata has changed in the past week," said Kurenai. "Her association with Naruto Uzumaki seems the most likely cause. Did they interact at all in school?"

"No, though Hinata-" Iruka's voice trailed off.

"Had a crush on Naruto? That was pretty obvious," said Kurenai. "How long?"

"I noticed it when she turned in a test that had little hearts on it, about three years ago," said Iruka. "Though I think Naruto didn't know about it until just before the genin tests. Maybe a day or two."

Kurenai nodded and then let out a deep sigh. "If he IS behind the surge of confidence, then if he does anything to hurt her-"

Iruka glanced at the jonin. "I don't think he'd do anything on purpose."

"He'd better not," summed up Kurenai.

"Or you'll castrate him with a dull kunai?" asked Iruka, extrapolating from the expression on the jonin's face.

"No, I'll turn him over to Anko," said Kurenai.

Iruka managed to turn pale and shudder. _Maybe I ought to have a word with Naruto._

"Though I admit I'm more worried about an UNintentional hurt. Ah, here's Sakura Haruno," said Kurenai as the girl came down the path. "It may be a couple of days before she's moving around quite so freely, but she can learn some genjutsu basics while Team 7 is rotating their training."

"I'd heard she was injured in the Kakabaka Incident," said Iruka.

"I do hope they aren't officially calling it that," said Kurenai, though a smile showed up at the thought. "She wasn't burned at least, and she was unconscious through the event and that might have prevented some injuries, but she did impact a couple of rocks."

* * *

"Hey, nice to see you without your clothes burned off," said Kiba by way of greeting.

"Eh?" asked Sakura.

The rest of Team 8 just looked at Kiba.

"Arf," said Akamaru awkwardly.

"What I mean is, last I saw you, you were in a tree with most of your dress burned off and you drooled all over my shirt," said Kiba, who then paused when he realized that hadn't come out too well either.

"Great," said Sakura, not sure how to handle comments like that.

"I mean," began Kiba.

"I think that this is one of those times silence serves better," said Shino quietly.

"Uhm, yeah," said Kiba.

"You're Hinata, right?" said Sakura, scooting to a seat next to the dark-haired girl and incidently away from the guy with the dog.

"Yes, Sakura-san, we shared the same class," said Hinata nodding and smiling at the girl.

"Ugh, don't remind me of class times," grumped Sakura. "Why did I have to get a loser like Naruto on my team?!"

Hinata's polite smile froze.

"I mean he's just pulling the entire team down," continued Sakura. "Why doesn't he give up on being a ninja?"

Hinata twitched, just a little. "A-ano-"

"He blew up a training area trying to pass a test, and before that he was just lying there like some lazy log," continued to gripe Sakura as the frustrations of the past few days came tumbling out. "What a LOSER."

"A-ano," tried Hinata again, a little louder.

Shino nudged Kiba and began moving away from the two.

"Of course, Sasuke is so awesome he can carry the team even with Naruto on it," continued Sakura. "Still, it isn't fair to Sasuke. How can he show off his skills with someone like Naruto dragging us down?"

"Sakura-san," said Hinata quite softly and politely, "could you stop right now?"

"Oh I wish I could stop Naruto," said Sakura. "You know how many years I wanted him to just shrivel up and die? But no - every day for YEARS he was asking me out. What if he gave Sasuke the wrong idea?"

Hinata rummaged around in her bag briefly.

"It's not like I would ever do anything that would mess up my chances to be with Sasuke," said Sakura, sighing in full fangirl mode.

"Sakura?" asked Hinata, hefting a large onigiri.

"Eh? WhaMRFFFGH?!"

With a mouth stuffed full of riceball, Sakura blinked at Hinata.

"Be sure to eat plenty," said Hinata. "You're still recovering from your injuries after all."

* * *

"Okay, THAT I didn't expect," admitted Iruka.

"She's a very nice girl, but she's having some problems with emotional equilibrium right now," said Kurenai, though her voice revealed some amusement.

"Well, something just happened," said Iruka when Hinata suddenly perked up and looked in a direction.

"She's not using the Byakugan," noted Kurenai. "I thought I might have seen that yesterday when it first happened."

"What?" asked Iruka just before Naruto came down the path.

"She knows he's coming without the Byakugan," pointed out Kurenai.

Iruka looked at the girl in question. In some ways it was like she'd spent all her life under a cloud, and now for the first time since he'd seen her - the sun had just come out. If this had been one of those movies, he'd have expected upsweeping music and little birds or butterflies dancing around the girl.

Kurenai spoke a bit louder so that everyone could hear. "As soon as Sasuke Uchiha arrives, I'll start today's lesson on genjutsu. Sakura, if you'll finish that riceball and come over here, I'll give you yesterday's lesson in dispelling genjutsu while we wait. Just practice it later."

* * *

Kurenai looked over the group seated on the logs, then began pacing back and forth as she lectured. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura from Team 7. Tenten from Team Gai, part of the trading-off of specialty teachers developed in the wake of the Kakabaka Incident. Her own team of Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. "Genjutsu, as I explained yesterday, normally uses handseals and chakra to take control of the target's senses."

"-normally?" asked Sakura.

"There are certain individuals where no handseals are required," said Kurenai. "One of Sasuke's clan, for example, was capable of using his Sharingan to influence individuals without any outward signs. Another Uchiha ancestor was said able to use a special genjutsu if one just met his eye for an instant. Some people have used music or flashing lights, a spinning spiral, or other methods. To start with though, you need to be able to use hand-signs and chakra and forge a connection with your opponent."

There were some signs of impatience from those who'd been present yesterday, but she was just recapping and was now past that.

"I've already taught the basic dispelling genjutsu," said Kurenai, "as well as the dispelling technique for a companion. NO, Naruto, you can NOT demonstrate."

"Oh," said Naruto, sitting back down.

"I will require that you work on getting better control of it as having anyone's clothing burned off is NOT going to happen on a mission," further explained Kurenai as her red eyes managed to glare quite effectively at Naruto.

"It was just the once," grumped Naruto.

"High intelligence, an attention to detail, and very precise chakra control," said Kurenai, "are what makes a genjutsu specialist effective. Without all three qualities, there will be problems with the genjutsu that the victim can use to throw off the effect. Even if the victim knows that they're in a genjutsu, a skilled user can keep the victim submerged until released by a companion or the specialist."

Shino adjusted his glasses.

"Admittedly, the Aburame have their kikai bugs which are immune to genjutsu, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans have their eye abilities to help throw off or detect genjutsu, and there are certain individuals like the famous rogue-nin Ghost who are simply immune. A particularly skilled genjutsu specialist can even do a genjutsu reversal to trap the attacker in their own genjutsu. Maboroshi of the minor ninja village, the Village Hidden In The Jungle, is exceptionally adept at such things."

"'rogue-nin'?" asked Kiba.

"Another term for missing-nin," explained Kurenai. "But also used specifically for those ninja whose villages were destroyed or lost. The latter are often wandering mercenaries, though occasionally you'll run into some who seek to join a village. I've even run into ronin, or wandering samurai, in similar circumstances. Some people, particularly within ninja villages, see no difference between the two groups. I've met some homeless shinobi that have entirely different views on the subject."

"That would be expected," said Shino quietly.

"If you meet one, consider them dangerous and a threat," said Kurenai. "Some of them will be completely mercenary and will literally do anything for a job. There are a few, however, who will try to befriend you and show how valuable they are in case they can ever work with a village again. Most of them will be genin with very limited training, but they could be anything up to and including S-Rank. "

Kurenai paused before getting back into the subject at hand. "Most genjutsu require you to be nearby and in visual range to work. Some genjutsu practitioners use sound, however, and can stay out of your line of sight as they attack your mind. The Hidden Village Of Sound has a number of these from what I've seen in reports."

Kurenai looked around the group and nodded as she saw everyone was still paying attention. "Now I've already started using a simple genjutsu while everyone's attention was on me. Can anyone tell me what it is doing?"

* * *

"FAIL. Just utter and complete FAIL," said Kakashi Hatake.

"We got the bells," pointed out Sasuke.

"We did the teamwork thing, more or less," pointed out Naruto.

"You can't fail Sasuke for Naruto screwing up!" exclaimed Sakura.

Naruto and Sasuke joined Kakashi at glancing at Sakura.

"Ignoring the rabid fangirl for the moment," summed up Sasuke.

"And I've seen the request forms you've turned in," added Kakashi. "You wanted to replace Sakura with a LOG?"

"It'd be quieter and more useful," pointed out Sasuke.

"You haven't seen some of the things his fanclub has done over the years," said Naruto to Kakashi. "You wouldn't blame him much for that."

"If he'd seen that, he'd understand," said Sasuke.

"You - you tried to have me replaced with a log?!" asked Sakura, staring at Sasuke now. "But Sasukeeeeee!"

"I tried to get Clucky The Battle Chicken, but he wasn't available," said Sasuke.

"You tried to replace me with a chicken?" asked Sakura very quietly.

"Clucky The Battle Chicken. Not my first choice, despite being a formidable combat summons," admitted Sasuke.

"Who WAS your first choice?" asked Naruto, curious now.

"Trade her off for Hinata Hyuga actually," said Sasuke.

"Disregarding that you can't do that, WHY would you want to do that?" asked Kakashi.

Sasuke began counting points off on his fingers. "One, Sakura's been described as a genjutsu type - high intelligence and precise chakra control. You're not a genjutsu expert. Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata's current instructor IS. Yet Hinata is not a genjutsu type. So Sakura could actually do better there than here."

Kakashi blinked at that with his one visible eye.

"Two," continued Sasuke, "Naruto's control over the fire stuff especially is crap. Yet I have overheard that it is better with Hinata around. As the Bell Test demonstrated, that would have been a good thing."

"There was concern about that," said Kakashi, leaning on his crutches. "If Hinata were injured in Naruto's sight he might go blowing things up again."

"Blowing up attackers is not something a ninja should regard as a bad thing," countered Sasuke. "Three. She's not a squealing fangirl. I've heard her defend Naruto, and she admits he makes mistakes. She doesn't put him on a pedestal. On the other hand, I've heard dogboy talking to bugboy and she wants to improve herself for 'her Naruto-kun' - which sounds a lot better than being a squealing cheerleader."

"I'm not a 'squealing cheerleader'," protested Sakura.

"Four," continued Sasuke, "she's got the Byakugan - which makes her a big plus for reconnaisance and scouting. An area that Team 7 is weak at. Having someone who can gather extra information about a situation we're stuck in - that increases our chances at both surviving and at meeting the mission goals."

"You've thought about this," noted Kakashi, a little mollified that it wasn't simply a case of trying to boot a pink-haired fangirl away from his royal self.

"I was awake for most of the day I was in the hospital following the Bell Test," said Sasuke. "When I heard her mumbling about marshmallows and chocolate syrup and mumbling my name - I began actively considering getting some distance."

Naruto and Kakashi both stared at the heavily blushing kunoichi.

"It must have been the drugs they used to sedate me," excused Sakura.

"Right," said Sasuke. "Anyway. Five. If Kurenai's team is a tracking and espionage team, then having Sakura would benefit them once she's trained in genjutsu. Being able to disguise their presence or cloak them would add to their effectiveness. So, as far as the village is concerned, switching out Hinata and Sakura is a benefit to the village with no net loss."

"I see," said Kakashi.

"I put all this down on my original request," said Sasuke.

"Well, you can't change out teammates like that, so get over it," said Kakashi. "Though I'll admit you do have some sound reasoning in there for the Hinata choice. What about Ayame from Ichiraku's?"

"I wrote up that one while I was having lunch with Naruto there," said Sasuke. "Have you seen her using the knives to cut up the vegetables and other ingredients? Very nice knifework, economical and precise. She might make a good kunoichi with a little training."

"She's not a kunoichi, she's a civilian," said Kakashi.

"Well, at least I know they were reading my requests," mused Sasuke as he found something positive in the situation.

Kakashi considered that briefly, then shrugged. Then winced a lot as that hurt. "Okay. Provisionally passed. Much as I'd like to fail you all, you did technically pass the test despite having way too much destruction involved."

"Then fail Naruto and have Sasuke and me pass?" suggested Sakura.

"No," said Kakashi though he did seem to consider it briefly. Or at least something was being considered. It could even have been how to get Clucky The Battle Chicken on Team 7. "Let's see how you handle D-Rank Missions. Starting with this one."

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_**

Okay, my muse keeps beating me over the head and dragging me back to this story. We'll see how long that continues.

There's a god of mischief involved, so yes, of COURSE it is deviating from canon.

There's also some differences in how the Phoenix operates, such as the addition of pyrokinetic abilities. See also "There's a god of mischief involved." Clucky the Battle Chicken Summons is a shout out to "Naruto The Abridged Series" on You Tube. Good stuff. ^_^ 


	7. Chapter 7: Fire Heritage

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 7: Fire Heritage

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

"Target is sighted," said Sasuke.

"I'm in position," said Sakura.

"Got him!" said Naruto, holding one arm out and grasping at air.

There came a yowling and hissing and other noises from the brush.

"NARUTO!" yelled Sakura. "You're scaring it!"

"But I've got it," said Naruto, floating the cat over towards his team-mate.

"Well, let the poor kitty go," scolded Sakura, "your wind techniques are frightening the poor thing."

"If I let it go, it's going to get away or hurt you," warned Naruto. "It's pissed."

"Like you know anything about cats," said Sakura, noticing that the cat hanging in midair had calmed down. "Let it go, it'll be okay."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, shrugged, and let the cat down slowly and released the cat.

"There," said Sakura, scooping up the cat. "There, there, poor widdle thing. Mean old Naruto isn't-"

That was as far as she got before Tora began shredding things.

"YAGHHHHHHHH! STOP THAT! BAD KITTY - AAGGHHH! MY FACE!"

Sasuke stopped next to Naruto, his back to the scene. "Can you grab it again if she lets go?"

"Yeah," said Naruto as he considered it. "Line of sight is easy."

"Good," said Sasuke. "Maybe we should finish this quickly and see if we can get another mission today."

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Kakashi-sensei did say that we can only get to C-Rank missions after at least fifty D-Ranks," said Naruto agreeably.

"So the more interesting missions where we can get stronger, if we can do two a day, are only a month away," summed up Sasuke.

"AGHHHHHHHHHH! Bii nobe! Ih bid bii nobe!"

"Can you separate the two of them with your wind technique?" asked Sasuke.

"I don't know, I could end up blowing them up," said Naruto.

"AHHHH! Legggooo! Geh ih off meh!"

"I think you'll have to try," said Sasuke.

* * *

"Well," said Kakashi, "the good news is that you got Sakura to the hospital on time. Tora the cat was retrieved with only minor difficulties. The bad news is that Sakura is having a major allergic reaction to the cat scratches and is not going to be going on missions until the swelling goes down."

"The Hokage won't give us any missions without our sensei being present," said Sasuke.

"Yes, I heard you tried to get a second mission after dropping Sakura off at the hospital," said Kakashi. "While I approve of the whole work ethic thing..."

Sasuke held his hand up. "Naruto? How many shadow clones can you make without suffering from chakra exhaustion?"

"And without blowing any of them up? A couple dozen if I want 'em to last a couple hours," admitted Naruto.

"So, properly equipped for the wall-painting mission we have today," continued Sasuke, "how long would it take us to get through the mission?"

"I see," said Kakashi, seeing where this was going. "Would this happen to have anything to do with the conversation yesterday about C-Rank missions?"

"Yup," said Naruto.

"Hnn," said Sasuke, pleased enough to slip back into minimal verbiage mode. Having to be the explainer was a pain.

"Ah, well, why don't you see how long this takes you before we make any further plans," said Kakashi, thinking that this sounded like more work for him too - which he really wasn't thrilled with.

* * *

"Tenten? Do you remember where you put that spear Uzu... Naruto had?" asked PonPon.

"I put it right..." Tenten went to the locker and checked. "Not here?"

"I didn't remember making a spear of that design," said PonPon. "So I was checking and I found this."

Tenten looked at the book, looked at the illustration, and then down at the description. "Someone made a copy of THAT?"

PonPon looked at his daughter. "What do we really know of the boy's parents?"

"Nothing, but..." Tenten glanced at the book again then shook her head. "That would explain why it appeared out of nowhere and vanished, but - Naruto?"

PonPon nodded. "It would explain the weapon. If it is then it would be a major secret. If the Hokage doesn't know, then someone would need to let him know."

Tenten glanced at the illustration again, before going back to sharpening her weapons. _Couldn't be. Just could NOT be. Could it?_

* * *

Somewhere a cat giggled as something else altered in the timestream showed signs of not being wasted effort after all.

* * *

"Done!" said Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, and Naruto.

More Naruto in the background high-fived each other.

Sasuke nodded to all the Naruto, then glanced at Kakashi. He raised an eyebrow.

With an air of supreme sacrifice, Kakashi lowered his little orange book and sighed. "You really want another mission?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Fine, fine," said Kakashi. Not that he was going to complain too much. He had bills to pay too.

* * *

"Sasuke I'm back!" said Sakura four days later. "Did you miss me?"

"Hn," said Sasuke.

"Hey, glad you're feeling better, Sakura," said Naruto. "So, Kakashi-sensei, you were saying we had a mission that'll take all day?"

"Yes," said Kakashi. "I'm afraid I couldn't get any you could finish as quickly as the three yesterday."

Sakura blinked. "You did THREE missions yesterday?"

"Hn," agreed Sasuke with a nod, a faint ghost of a smile showing.

"We've been averaging two a day," said Naruto with a shrug.

"Wow, Sasuke, you're awesome," summed up Sakura.

"Well, let's get going. I'll show you the work site," said Kakashi, leading the way.

Naruto edged closer to Sasuke as they walked. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about this."

"Hn," agreed Sasuke, eyeing the back of their sensei.

* * *

Hinata stumbled.

"Trip over something?" asked Kurenai as they walked along the road.

"No, I just got a sudden feeling as if someone screamed in anguish and frustration, having their plans dashed by an actively malevolent authority," said Hinata.

Kurenai considered that for a few moments. "I wonder what Kakashi's done now."

* * *

Sakura smiled as brightly as she could, though there was a slight lack of sincerity in it. "Welcome to Ninja Burger, can I take your order?"

"I'll take two Jonin Jack Combos."

"I see," said Sakura. "And what do you want to drink with that?"

"One Genin Green Tea and a Shinobi Sasparilla."

"Yes sir, coming right up," said Sakura, idly wondering why she was fated to suffer the dismal fate of Counter Help.

Which was because Naruto would have caused a lack of business, while Sasuke would have had to deal with annoying fangirls. Not that anyone had explained this to Sakura.

Kakashi sat at a table in the corner and read his little orange book.

Sasuke was already flipping the burgers and sulking. How was THIS supposed to get him ready to avenge his clan? He idly used a fireball jutsu to spit extra flames into the bed of charcoal under the grill.

Currently using his oiroke no jutsu to be a buxom worker only occasionally glimpsed by the clientele, Naruto worked the fry machine and the drink dispenser. Mainly he was using it to avoid having the boiling hatred assaulting him on those frequent trips he had to deliver to that front counter.

"How many hours of this we gotta do?" asked 'Naruko' as she brought the latest set of drinks to the counter.

"Eight," said Sakura through her teeth as she continued to smile. "Six more to go. Eight hours of this... Hello, welcome to Ninja Burger. How may I help you?"

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat back and regarded Ponpon. Not that this was originally the man's name. A weapons expert, retired shinobi, who had left his old life and name behind in order to make a better life for his daughter.

Tenten herself was an exceptional kunoichi who followed in her father's footsteps for the most part. She wanted to prove that a kunoichi was just as good as her male counterparts, and was NOT relegated to a support position in her team. Yes, a lot of kunoichi DID end up in that sort of position. The perception in general was enough for some like Tenten to rail against.

Neither Tenten nor her father were given to wild stories or outright lies.

"It's not that I doubt you," explained the Hokage. "Are you sure about this?"

"It was definitely THAT weapon, Lord Hokage," said the weapons expert. "It was definitely Dragonstongue."

"A weapon that can only be summoned by one of the blood of the Fire Daimyo," said the Hokage. "Naruto summoned it."

"I can only assume that either his father or mother had some trace of the bloodline, and that Naruto's affinity for fire has somehow increased the strength of that tie," speculated Ponpon.

"I see," said Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"It may have been a one-time thing," said the weaponsmith. "If not, he should be cautioned on displaying that weapon except at need or amongst his team."

"Actually, I concur," said the Third Hokage, adjusting his hat.

* * *

"It's not Ninja Burger again, is it?" asked Naruto as Kakashi opened the day by showing them a Mission Scroll.

"No," said Kakashi.

"Not Tora chasing again please," pleaded Sakura.

"Not that either," said Kakashi.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi, raising an eyebrow.

"We have a special mission today," tried Kakashi.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" asked Naruto, though it seemed he was directing his question skyward.

"Experience?" asked Sasuke.

"Oh, and your latest request for transferring Sakura was almost accepted, except someone figured out that it WAS you who wrote it and NOT her," said Kakashi.

"You forged my handwriting?" guessed Sakura.

Sasuke shrugged. "Practicing my mad ninja skillz."

"While you DID manage to impress one of the chunin with your reasoning and tales of tragic childhood," continued Kakashi, "the character of Abukunai The Ninja Mouse is a fictional character owned by a manga-ka named Kishimoto. He is NOT available for a real genin team."

"You tried to replace me with a mouse?" asked Sakura.

"A fictional mouse," corrected Kakashi.

"A fictional mouse with 'leet ninja skillz' as I recall," said Naruto, quoting the anime. "Huh. That could'a been cool."

"What?" asked Sakura, managing to twitch a lot.

"I remember seeing an episode when I was waiting for a movie," explained Naruto. "They have little short films before the main picture. Guy could throw a shuriken, jump onto it, and then shift his weight so he could fly on it. One of his 'one hundred and eight leet ninja skillz'."

"A cartoon mouse," said Sakura.

"Well, manga," said Kakashi, thinking he'd seen them at the bookstore. Sounded amusing. Maybe something to look at next time he was stuck for reading material. "Mainly. Anyway, transfer is denied."

"I'm just going to go over here and practice throwing kunai," said Sakura, turning and trudging off. She didn't actually have dark clouds over her head, it just seemed that way.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" asked Kakashi.

"Every time she acts like a rabid fangirl or asks me out, I fill one out," said Sasuke, shrugging. "Seems to be working. She's down to once a day."

"Ah," said Kakashi, it making more sense now.

* * *

_The next day:_

"C'mon, gramps," pleaded Naruto the next day. "We've tracked down the cat-"

"Repeatedly," put in Sasuke.

"We've painted fences," added Sakura.

"Sometimes we've gotten that job three times in the same day," complained Naruto.

"Hn," agreed Sasuke.

"Trash collection along the river," began Naruto, ticking jobs off on his fingers. "Unblocking sewer lines."

"Can we at least NOT get that one too often?" interrupted Sakura, all but falling to her knees to plea for that.

"Ninja Burger counter help, three times now," said Naruto, continuing to tick off their common jobs on his fingers. "Repair of the training grounds."

"If I find out who keeps using those explosive tags," grumbled Sakura, one fist making a meaty smack into the palm of the other hand, "and not dismantling their traps after they're done..."

* * *

"ACHOOO! ACHOOO!"

"Something wrong, Ino?"

"Allergies I guess."

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi might have been the Third Hokage, and therefore someone whose job included sending people off to be killed, but he could feel pity.

"-and that job is REAL bad, as bad as the sewer stuff," said Naruto. "C'mon, ojii, you know my nose is real damn sensitive. That kinda thing is a punishment duty and I ain't done anything THAT bad lately."

"Well," said the Hokage, "I do have a few missions available."

Three genin looked up, some hope appearing on their young faces though leavened to some degree with suspicion.

"There's a D-Rank mission for park maintenance," began the Third Hokage.

Three groans met that suggestion.

"There's a cat that needs finding," continued the Third.

"Can we pass on that one, I seem to be getting allergic?" meekly asked Sakura.

"Yeah, she blows up like an overripe fruit or something," said Naruto.

"shut up, Naruto," growled Sakura, glancing at Sasuke.

"Gets all puffy eyed, turns red, can barely see," continued Naruto.

"That's enough, baka," growled Sakura a little louder.

"I think it happened the third time Tora laid into her," said Naruto. "It's scared of me for some reason. Sakura though - it'll attack her on sight anymore. Ever since she-"

_BONK!_

Retracting her fist, Sakura continued to glare at Naruto.

"and then there's this C-Rank mission," put in the Hokage, "but I don't know if you're ready for-"

"WE'LL TAKE IT!" declared all three genin.

"Meh, you haven't even heard what it is," said Kakashi. Though frankly he was about ready to strangle Tora-chan himself. Mercy killing and all that. Just a matter of time before either Naruto blew it up or Sakura wrung its neck.

"Simply put," said the Hokage, though wondering if ANY C-Rank mission would get refused at this point, "the mission is to reinforce Team 8 on their mission to Wave Country."

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a pose that had a very unfortunate resemblance to one Gendo Ikari used. Fortunately, neither he nor the genin team in front of him were familiar with such things to draw any misconceptions.

Though for some reason Naruto felt a little creeped out anyway.

"Team 8 was on a C-Rank mission," said the Third Hokage, "when they ran into some problems."

"I know," said Naruto.

"You know?" asked the Hokage, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what happened," admitted Naruto. "I just know Hinata's in trouble."

"Ah," said the Hokage.

"That would be when I had to restrain you from leaving the village and going charging off," noted Kakashi to Naruto.

Naruto nodded.

Hiruzen allowed a faint smile into place. "It's natural when one's most precious friend is in trouble to want to charge off to their rescue. Don't forget though that she is a shinobi of the Leaf Village and wants to stand on her own two feet as well."

"So Kakashi-sensei told me," griped Naruto, leaving off the 'told me and told me and told me' part of it.

"Well, the mission was to escort a bridge-builder named Tazuna back to Wave Country and protect him from bandits," said the Hokage. "Unfortunately, according to a message just received by messenger bird, Team 8 was attacked by a missing-nin named Zabuza of the Mist. There may be others involved as well according to the message."

"So we're going to back up Team 8?" asked Kakashi.

"Precisely," said the Hokage. "Make your preparations and leave within the hour."

* * *

Hinata glanced up. "He's coming."

"Who's coming?" asked Kiba.

"Naruto-kun," said Hinata.

"Stay down, you're suffering from chakra depletion from using your Byakugan," said Kurenai as she sharpened her kunai.

"My allies have set a perimeter and if anyone approaches, I will know," said Shino.

"Good," said Kiba, stroking the fur of the bandaged Akamaru in his lap. "That masked guy's gonna pay for what he did."

"You detected Zabuza's scent on the 'hunter' - but you should have just kept quiet and signalled me instead of blurting it out," said Kurenai. "The time for direct confrontation is not when most of your team has suffered injuries."

"We're in better shape than that Zabuza guy," defended Kiba.

"As the fight with the 'hunter' proved - none of you were ready for that level of fight," said Kurenai Yuhi. "Hinata, are you sure that Naruto is coming?"

"I don't know how I know, but I'm sure of it," said Hinata.

"I don't get it," said Kiba.

"If she's sure, then I believe her," said Kurenai. "That means Team 7 is on its way. You've met them, studied with them, and so you should have some idea how to work with them."

"Yeah," said Kiba, rubbing his own bandaged arm where ice-needle senbon had made that limb a pincushion the evening before. "Unless Naruto goes blowing stuff up we need."

"H-he's gotten better about that," said Hinata.

"Didn't say he does it intentionally," said Kiba. "Besides, there's been a scent about him for years that just kinda puts me on edge."

"My colonies are reluctant to approach him," noted Shino. "Having seen his fire, I assume it has something to do with that."

"Maybe," allowed Kiba.

* * *

Hinata slept. She'd been using her Byakugan for extended periods ever since the Demon Brother attack. That attack itself hadn't been too much of a problem. They'd targetted Kurenai-sensei, and it had turned out to be a bunshin that they'd attacked.

During the following attack things had turned out worse.

Kurenai Yuhi had proven her specialty in genjutsu, fading into trees and striking repeatedly. Hinata herself had fallen back with Shino to guard the client.

Kiba and Akamaru fell into a pattern of waiting till Kurenai attacked, then attacking as she pulled back, followed by Kurenai fading in when Kiba or Akamaru was pressed.

Then the masked nin had shown up, Kiba had made the announcement that their scents were mingled, and things went downhill even further.

They'd managed to get away with the client, but the two nin were still out there and would likely show up to make things unpleasant before the bridge could be completed.

All of this had made rest very difficult for her. At any moment she had half-expected to end up getting attacked with ice senbon like Kiba and Akamaru or poison gas bombs like Shino and his bugs.

Even Kurenai-sensei was worn out.

Now though, she knew that help was coming. Naruto was coming.

She had faith in Naruto-kun. She wasn't so worried that it offset the exhaustion she was feeling.

She slept.

* * *

"Rest. Naruto. Now."

"But," said Naruto.

"No," said Kakashi.

"But I could-"

"No," repeated Kakashi.

"Well, what about-"

"No. Discussion closed."

Naruto sighed and trudged over to one of the logs on their campsite.

"And don't sulk, it's unbecoming of a ninja," said Kakashi. Then stopped, realized exactly how ironic for HIM to say that, and just went back to reading his book.

"Honestly, Naruto," said Sakura. "What were you going to do, FLY us there?"

"Yeah," admitted Naruto.

"Well, that's... eh," said Sakura, abruptly remembering seeing Naruto and Hinata fly overhead one morning. "Uhm."

"Can you do that faster?" asked Sasuke, who HAD remembered that detail but thought the speed not that impressive.

"Yeah, I think so," said Naruto. "I dunno if I could do the same thing as with Hinata, but if I flew and had a rope tied to me, and everyone grabbed the rope, we could go that way."

"And how exhausted would you be when we got there?" asked Kakashi. "Rest now. Two hours from now, we'll be moving again. Hmmm. Though maybe when we get closer, we can try your idea out. I want you to get more practice with it before relying on it though."

* * *

Hinata slept. Hinata dreamed.

Hinata, despite having X-Ray/Telescopic Vision, was largely innocent. At age twelve, she and Naruto were not ready for a lot of things.

So this dream did not veer off into silk sheets and other things it might when she would get older.

She was at a beach. There were a number of people playing volleyball, some others were playing in the waves, and a penguin was selling icecream in a booth off behind her.

She was lying on a large fluffy beach towel under an umbrella that had been set up on the sand, watching the waves peacefully wash up.

Hinata had never actually BEEN to a beach, all she had was a few pictures of the distant Fire Beach to go on. Which, among other things, explained the penguin selling ice cream. She'd also never had ice cream, otherwise she'd have known that it didn't actually come in praline-shrimp flavor. As she didn't like shrimp, it was unlikely she'd try it even in a dream.

Naruto appeared in her dream, wearing his usual clothing. Hinata quickly changed that to swim trunks.

Naruto's clothing flicked back to normal. Hinata switched it back to swim trunks.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto, sounding very uncertain.

"Naruto-kun," said Hinata, holding up a bottle of suntan lotion. "Can you put some on me? I don't want to burn."

"This is a dream or something, isn't it?" asked Naruto, looking around. "And why is a penguin selling ice cream?"

Hinata sighed. She couldn't even get a break in her dreams for crying out loud.

"I just wanted to tell you that Team 7 is coming to back you up!" exclaimed Naruto with a confident thumb's-up and smirk.

"I know," said Hinata. "Please?"

"Uhm, sure, I guess," said Naruto, noting how scrawny and plain Hinata looked. "Aw, come on, Hinata, you're a lot cuter than that."

"Wha-what?" squeaked Hinata.

Naruto shook his head, he knew from being around her that she had issues with her self-image. He went over to help her with the suntan lotion though, because it WAS her dream and if she wanted oiled - no reason not to. "I'm only here for a couple of minutes while we rest. We're only resting long enough for Sakura to recover. She doesn't seem to have a lot of stamina."

"What are you talking about?" said a familiar voice.

Sakura was standing there, looking curvaceous and strong, her hair long and flowing.

"Oh, now that's just wrong," said Naruto. "We're twelve, Hinata. There's no way Sakura could have that kind of figure. And really, a leather-and-chain bikini?"

"You belong to ME, Naruto!" declared Sakura, snapping her whip. "How dare you pay attention to someone else!"

"Uhm, Hinata, Sakura doesn't like me," said Naruto. "She barely tolerates me. She only has eyes for Sasuke, you know?"

"Don't you dare," said Ino, stepping forward out of apparently nowhere. "Naruto is MINE!"

"Hinata?" asked Naruto. "Where did this come from? Ino hasn't shown any interest in me at all."

"Hinata," grumbled the suddenly appearing Hyuga patriarch. "It is time for you to lose in humiliating fashion to your little sister."

Naruto blinked at how plain and pathetic Hinata was becoming and decided to just go ahead and do something about it. She seemed to like this in real life, so maybe it would work here?

He knelt down and hugged her, dissipating the images of various people she knew.

When Kiba and Akamaru charged nearby, sending a spray of urine towards her, he stopped that too. He simply hugged her, sending as much as he could of acceptance and affection towards this person he was coming to accept as being precious to him.

After a few moments, he felt the beach dissolving as Hinata relaxed into a deeper sleep.

* * *

Kakashi had decided the time to try it was when they'd reached the edge of the water and no immediate transportation had been secured.

Well, actually they'd found boats. Several of them. All with large gaping holes in their bottoms.

"Make sure the knots are tight," instructed Kakashi. "Yes, like that. Tie the knots around those planks. You just keep watch, Sakura,"

"Why are we doing it this way, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura, knowing that Sasuke wouldn't ask and Naruto might ask but wouldn't ask the right question.

"The planks are to hold onto when Naruto does the lifting," said Kakashi. "Naruto, you're to fly just above the surface of the water."

"Why? I'd think higher up there would be less chance of being spotted," asked Naruto as he finished rigging one end of the rope into a harness.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Kakashi assured him. "It's just I don't trust you."

"Thanks, that clears it up EVER so much," mumbled Sakura.

"I trust Naruto to not intentionally put us down in a lake," clarified Kakashi. "It's your experience with the technique and carrying people at high speed I have my concerns about."

"Falling from high up would be bad," translated Sakura for Naruto.

Naruto sighed a long-suffering sort of sigh, and one that sounded fairly well practiced by this point.

Sasuke smirked. "Don't worry, dobe, we'll get there before your girlfriend wises up and dumps you."

* * *

"There's someone out there," said Shino. "My allies are unable to determine who is approaching normally and who is not."

"Well, we do have a few neighbors," admitted Tsunami. "By the way, who are your allies? Dogs like the other boy's?"

"Not quite," said Shino. He held up an arm and let a few of his allies crawl out over his hand. When he glanced up he noticed the woman was now on the other side of the room. "You needn't worry, I am in full control of their actions."

"H-how nice," said Tsunami. "I'm going to see about... my son. Yes."

Watching her go behind his dark glasses, Shino shrugged ever so slightly before returning his attention to the window.

* * *

Reactions to the flight were varied as they sped through the fog.

Naruto was concentrating on keeping them aloft, keeping Sakura from dragging in the water (she was on the bottom) and trying to keep a constant speed when the fog kept his visual references down.

Sakura was the most panicky, absolutely certain that she'd end up dragged through the water and then mistaken for bait by some enormous fish. That she occasionally saw shapes in the water was enough indication of that for her imagination to do the rest.

Sasuke was determined not to show it, but he was enjoying this. Between the speed, silence except for the sound of the wind of their passage, and the novelty of their method of travel - he found this to actually be an unexpected bit of fun. That he would arrive relatively rested in enemy territory was just a big plus in his book.

Kakashi himself was alternating between worrying about what was ahead of them, worried that Naruto's chakra would run out, worried that the fog was concealing enemies, and so on. Which caused him to also worry that all this worrying was going to give him stomach problems.

"Someone's ahead of us," reported Naruto, feeling a dark emotional knot in that direction.

"Can we go around?" asked Kakashi, wondering how Naruto could see. Wait, the fog was much thicker in that direction. Ah. "How's your reserves?"

"I can keep up this pace for about another hour," said Naruto.

"Hmmm," said Kakashi. "Go up above the fog. If they're like Zabuza and from Mist, they may be able to sense movement in the fog."

"Got ya," said Naruto, angling his flight up now.

There was a muffled squeak from Sakura as the water fell away beneath her.

She squeaked again when they got out of the fog and she realized how much of a drop was beneath her feet.

* * *

Shino glanced up, stared briefly, then had his insects rouse the household.

Not surprising to him, Hinata was the first to climb to his position. Kurenai arrived a few moments later.

"That's them," said Hinata as the dot in the distance rose up until it was hard to discern.

"That might come in handy when a mission needs to be inserted without sentries finding out, as long as it is used sparingly enough that it doesn't become well known," said Kurenai in a speculative tone.

"They're moving quite rapidly as well," stated Shino in his precise tones.

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"I believe Sakura just realized that as well," said Kurenai, mimicking Shino's tones.

"Indeed," said Shino.

"You suppose he's picked up the pace because Hinata's here?" asked Kurenai, an impish tone creeping into her voice.

"That does seem a logical conclusion," agreed Shino.

"S-sensei! Shino!"

"Shhh, Hinata," said Kurenai. "They're almost here and you'll wake Kiba. He needs his rest after yesterday."

"Oh, right," said Hinata, momentarily chastened. Though her eyes were bright and she wasn't able to keep a properly serious expression on her face as the figures swooped closer.

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_** Remember, you can review this thing with a simple click and encourage more writing.

Next: we get into a twist on the Wave Country arc as Kiba asks "What crawled up his butt and died?" and Shino replies "Several of my parasitic insects actually."

"That would explain why he ran off clutching his butt and screaming."


	8. Chapter 8: Fire and Ice

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 8: Fire and Ice

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

_This is neat. Not that I will admit to it._ Sasuke glanced down at the world below him. _It must be like a hawk feels as it surveys its dominion from a height, watching for the movement of prey before it swoops and strikes._

A glance up revealed the 'dead last' whose jutsu was doing this. _If this is some sort of jutsu I can duplicate with the Sharingan, I need to get that working again. If it isn't, then it still has uses - as a quick escape for when a mission goes wrong it has much to recommend it._

"!"

Sasuke glanced down, his face a mask. _On the other hand, someone needs to get used to this sort of thing so she absolutely doesn't do that in the future._

Sasuke gave up the glare at Sakura, who was in no shape to notice, and returned to looking around from this new vantage point. _Interesting. We seem to be heading for that house that's a little off to the side of this village near the woods. It's odd. Both Hinata and Naruto seem able to tell where the other is, at least that seemed to be the case when we were all training together. So if it IS that house, I need to figure out sentry points and defensible areas we can use._

Sasuke scrutinized it as it grew closer. _Hmph. Good rate of speed. If we could circle the place, it'd be easier to figure out the best sentry locations but circling would probably draw attention. Nobody's looking up right now, but if he does this for long someone will notice the movement. Movement draws attention. Three people on the roof? I don't recognize ...oh yes. Kurenai Yuhi. The genjutsu specialist from those mixed-team lessons we took while Kakashi-sensei was in the hospital. Aburame and Hyuga. Inuzuka must be the one injured._

Another glance upwards before returning his gaze to the indicated roof. _Him and her? Odd couple, even if I saw the two of them together that last time he went flying. And each of them glancing at each other during those lessons. Well, at least he's not dealing with some possessive fangirl type. Hmmm. That tree there has branches up a fair ways - that'd make a good sentry point. Aburame's rooftop position is too exposed, unless it's a bunshin or something as a decoy._

* * *

_Just as I felt it earlier, I can feel his presence as he gets closer. At first I just had a crush on him, I realize that now. When I was surrounded by darkness and doubt, when my life was defined by despair, I saw him. He inspired me, that even if I failed that I could still TRY. And that in that trying there was value of its own._

_He is getting better at flying. In the village we soared at about a fast walking pace. Here he is coming at a fast run. My Byakugan reveals his current altitude is roughly four hundred fifty feet. Speed increasing, he's spotted me. I feel it, feel his concern and approval and that he cares._

_I know that he's been alone, and that simply finding someone who wants to be close to him is responsible for at least some of what he's feeling. That he knows what I'm feeling for him and he doesn't reject me._

_Does he know how that makes me feel? To know that someone accepts me and cares about me? I don't think he loves me, not yet at least, but when he holds me close and surrounds me with such feelings - how can I not feel stronger? To want to grasp him with both hands and heal the hurts I feel deep within him?_

"You're going to run out of chakra if you keep watching him with the Byakugan."

"Right," said Hinata, releasing her Byakugan. _I know Kurenai-sensei is amused by all this. She's not exactly making it a secret. Oh, poor Sakura-san. She's wrapped herself around the rope. Does she have a problem with heights? The other two seem okay. Well, Sasuke-san is grinning. I don't think I've ever seen that before._

_On the other hand, I can certainly understand it. Flying is quite enjoyable, and one feels so free of everything holding you down._

_Naruto-kun is landing. I need to be more dignified and greet everyone properly. After all, these ARE his team-mates and we ARE genin now. I wonder if I can get a hug later though?_

* * *

_Was I ever that young?_

_Hinata looks as if she'd like nothing more than to go running over and latch onto Naruto. Ah, good, she's getting it under control. Have to keep an eye on the two though. Hinata hasn't known much affection in her life, and from what I know about Naruto - he hasn't had much acceptance much less affection._

Kurenai Yuhi looked over the arriving Team 7 and schooled her expression to erase any amusement over the latest installment of the soap opera that was managing a team of new genin. "I hadn't expected you to arrive just yet."

Kakashi Hatake inclined his head to the side just a bit. "I decided that Naruto needed to train some in his techniques. Naruto? As soon as you get the rope off, go meditate and recover your chakra. Sakura? You can release the death-grip on the rope now."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei."

"So, what's the sitrep?" asked Kakashi as they watched the flier move off.

_Good, he's being professional and not simply reading that book of his. It's always so annoying when we're in a jonin meeting and he starts giggling about something in there._ "We started out with a C-Rank mission, which was to guard a bridge-builder named Tazuna-"

* * *

_I'm shaking and my muscles are sore from hanging on,_ thought Sakura to herself as she lay sprawled out in the yard. _That was TERRIFYING. Never never ever again. If anyone brings up the subject of Naruto and flying again, I may have to get violent._

"You're all going to die," said some little boy.

"Not if I don't go flying again," retorted Sakura.

"Eh? 'Flying'?" asked the little boy's voice.

Sakura gradually unpeeled an eyelid to confirm the presence of the little boy. "Yes, 'flying' as in having an unnatural ground-to-self relationship."

"That's stupid," said the little boy.

"Yes, flying is stupid," agreed Sakura, reveling in the feeling of unmoving solid ground underneath her.

"Whatever," grumped the boy, sounding as if he was going off to find someone else to torment.

**"Hey, waitaminute. Open our eyes again,"** came Inner Sakura's dialogue.

Sakura did so, wondering what the big deal was. There was Naruto, sitting down and apparently trying to recover chakra. There was Hinata, sitting down a few feet away and watching Naruto.

"Oh big deal," grumbled Sakura as she laid her head back down. "She's always watched him."

Inner Sakura made a throat-clearing noise. **"And Sasuke is watching BOTH of them."**

"Eh?" startled Sakura, looking again. Sasuke sat on the rooftop and was observing the two.

**"Don't tell me Sasuke is falling for Hinata!"** exclaimed Inner Sakura.

Sakura's eyes opened wider as the idea took root. "No. It couldn't be."

* * *

Hinata picked herbs in the early morning. It was one of the best times to do so. Kurenai-sensei was still showing some signs of chakra exhaustion, Kakashi-sensei had gotten his team out to practice tree-climbing. Shino was doing one of his clan's techniques that involved "cycling" his swarms of insects. Kiba and Akamaru were still healing.

Which led her to the woods where she could identify and gather herbs for various medicinal purposes. A chakra-refueling tea (which almost everyone agreed tasted absolutely horrible) for example - though that one was rare and one had to gather the buds without otherwise harming the plant.

It was also best to do it alone in the early morning hours for other reasons entirely.

"Oh, I didn't realize someone was here," said an unfamiliar voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Hinata, getting up from her knees so that she could bow. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"Oh, that's all right, I... you've got quite a pile there. I take it you're familiar with herb medicine?" said the oddly pretty boy.

"Oh, yes," said Hinata. "Do you need any? I can share."

"You realize that one's poisonous, don't you?" asked the boy, indicating one of her piles.

"Only mildly and if you ingest it," pointed out Hinata. "However, if you apply it in a salve it's very good for aching muscles."

"Really?" asked the boy, looking mildly surprised. "Oh, that headband. Are you a ninja?"

"Y-y-yes," stammered Hinata before shaking off the odd feeling. "I'm a genin of the Leaf Village."

"I see, then are you a medical nin?" asked the boy.

"No, I'd like to be, but my father is unlikely to give permission for that training," said Hinata. "At least for now."

"Oh," said the bishonen as he looked over the piles. "Are you sure you have enough of this?"

"Yes, I was just refreshening my stock," said Hinata. "Just in case."

"Always prepared, eh?" asked the boy, taking about half the pile.

"I try to be," said Hinata. This boy was just a stranger, and one she'd never see again, so it was all right to talk to him, right?

"You have someone to protect, don't you?" said the boy, his voice going softer on that.

"Well, yes, my team, my sensei, and... one other," said Hinata, her own voice going softer on that last.

"Someone who is precious to you, I see," said the boy, smiling but also looking a little sad at that.

"Yes," said Hinata. "Are you sure you don't need more? That herb is for speeding production of blood. This one here, if you crush it finely and put it in a poultice, will keep wounds from infecting."

"Oh?" said the boy, nodding and taking some. "You're very knowledgeable of this. It's a pity your father discourages your studies."

"That's it for me," said Hinata, noting the sun's position. "I have to be going. It was nice meeting you. I am Hinata, if we ever meet again."

"My name is Haku," said the boy. "I think having someone to protect, it makes us stronger."

"Yes," said Hinata, smiling again, but noting the sad look in the other's eyes. "I agree."

"Unn," agreed Haku before watching the girl make her way from the clearing.

* * *

Hinata slowed as she left the clearing, glancing back. Wounds were not uncommon, even serious wounds. During her D-Rank missions they'd had to help out at a farm because the farmer himself had been badly injured. Inquiring then had turned up that civilians injured themselves all the time, but because civilians weren't intensively trained in building up and maintaining chakra - they didn't heal as fast.

Which HAD explained the need for a lot of the D-Rank missions beyond the obvious team-building and training-while-earning-your-way exercises. Otherwise something like clearing weeds from a field or digging up potatoes would not have made a lot of sense.

Still, there had also been details of body language. She, like all members of the Hyuga clan with the Byakugan, trained in being able to read body language. Some were also adept at reading lips, though that seemed to require a certain measure of innate talent as well. The boy Haku had been centered, balanced, and held himself ready but also relaxed. He'd offered no threat, and none had been returned as a result - but there had been a preparedness revealed in tiny little details.

Hinata shook her head at where her imagination was going. She had no reason to believe that everyone she met was an enemy. Tazuna himself had mentioned the bandits and mercenaries Gato had hired, that was probably it. The villagers had to be ready to flee such persons at any given time.

* * *

Tazuna started out gaping, then got a grin on his face as things got underway.

Kakashi smiled at the bridge-builder, then turned his attention back to the activity.

A large bridge support was close enough to a tree that it could be used to run Naruto and Sakura and Sasuke up it, one at a time, at least until Sakura demonstrated she had the basics down. At which point it was Naruto and Sasuke trying to manage it. The reason for using the bridge support was easy - there was water nearby to put out any fires Naruto might start.

Well, that and there were over twenty Naruto working away at the bridge.

Once he'd explained that Naruto's favorite not-hijutsu ninjutsu had that little bit about knowledge coming back to the original when the clones dispersed, and demonstrated for Naruto's benefit, Naruto had gone into the mission-clearing mode he'd worked out with Sasuke back while doing D-Ranks. Make lots of shadow clones to get things done until they dispersed, rest a bit, do it all over again.

Of course, once Sasuke and Sakura started grumbling, Kakashi explained the DOWNSIDE of the technique. A reason it didn't get used beyond the massive amount of chakra involved. Using shadow clones, one experienced the death of that clone in full vivid detail as if it had happened to you. With experience, you could distance yourself from it a bit, but it still could get a ninja a bit shaky after awhile.

He'd seen it sink in with Sasuke, who had briefly had an expression downright alien to the Last Uchiha. Pity. No, sympathy. Sasuke had lived with the memories of the Massacre and the death of people he'd known all his childhood and had the best reference to what would be weighing on Naruto the more he used that technique in dangerous circumstances.

Sakura didn't get it, but Kakashi thought she at least understood the reason he'd told them. Not only did Naruto have a flawed method for learning quicker, his already shaky control of his fire jutsu could get worse if he was going through mental trauma at the time.

Kakashi considered as Sakura looked around briefly then turned to supervising various Naruto while Sasuke and the original Naruto continued to try and learn tree-climbing.

He'd have them mark their progress with a kunai, but since that would probably aggravate Tazuna - they were using charcoal pencils instead.

Kakashi sighed as he used a jutsu to draw a splash of water up to put out flaming footprints. It looked as if it might be a long day.

* * *

Haku got closer, doing the usual reconnaisance work. Zabuza, despite his many talents, really wasn't good at the whole "pass through area without being noticed" thing. Hiding and striking from ambush, yes. Mingle with a crowd? Nope.

There was a crowd gathering, gawking at something occurring on the bridge, which made the whole thing easier. Then all he had to do was move to the front, take a quick look, then turn away and analyze what he'd seen. Standard procedure after all these years together with Zabuza, wandering one step ahead of the hunters.

Haku paused as the reason for all the civilians staring was made quite clear.

Someone wearing the jonin vest with a Leaf headband was blocking further access to the bridge, and most of the workers ON the bridge were likewise just looking at what was going on.

A set of bridge supports bobbled in air, then started fitting themselves together.

Haku's eyes went down a bit. There, like a band leader directing his players, a blonde boy about Haku's own age was making elaborate gestures that were mirrored by the parts flying overhead.

A glance to the side revealed a crane and cables that were lying unused.

_Some sort of kekkei genkai?_ Haku's face didn't betray any agitation as the blonde boy flitted to the top of another support post and began directing the new section into place. _He can move objects without touching them, and that section of bridge must weigh several tons. Clearly a very dangerous nin despite his age._

Metal braces came together into place, and a flare of intense flame arced from the genin to the metal joint - causing it to immediately glow red and then white with brilliance.

_Fire AND Wind or something? With that hair, could he be of the fabled Yamanaka clan? Some natural genius at that age. Clearly this reinforcement team is more dangerous than the original team sent here._ Haku turned away and blended with the crowd again, musing over his observations. _If he's so dangerously powerful, what kind of jonin would be set to watch over him? I have to tell Zabuza of this immediately._

* * *

"When... when did he get this strong?" asked Sakura as she stood next to Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned, really not satisfied with tree-walking when he should be doing something like THAT!

"Fire jutsu, wind jutsu, but..." Sakura made a gesture to what was going on behind them.

"Control training," said Sasuke, explaining.

"I know that's what Kakashi-sensei said, but -" Sakura let the rest of the sentence remain unsaid. What was going on behind her was sufficient that her mind was still reeling at it.

Sasuke frowned at Sakura making him explain further. "He isn't good at the little stuff obviously. Remember the leaf floating exercise? How sensei said Naruto had a LOT of chakra?"

"That was a little leaf," said Sakura, who bit the rest off when she realized her voice had been getting a little edgy there. "Those things weigh tons."

A shadow passed overhead, causing Sakura to flinch as she realized it was another support beam. This one at least eight times her height and three times her width.

"Okay, Naruto," called out Kakashi as the beam moved slowly into place. "As soon as that one's anchored down, you need to take a break. In fact, I think we should all break for lunch. When we're done, Sakura - I'll start you on water-walking and Sasuke - you can continue to work on your tree-climbing. Well, bridge-climbing at least. For a little variety though, I want you to try maintaining a position while working on the connectors."

Watching Sasuke walk off in his habitual slouch, and watching Naruto practically collapse as soon as the support had been secured by those bridge workers who had NOT stopped everything to stare, Sakura couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Wasn't this supposed to be Sasuke's story, where she would be the lead heroine supporting him as he went on to glory? Instead she found herself looking at the two other members of her team and wondering exactly what her part was.

It was like they had all started out at the Academy at the same time, and she was now looking at their backs way off in the distance.

* * *

"Ow," said Kiba.

"That shouldn't hurt," said Hinata, smoothing salve on the injury.

"Not there," said Kiba. "Just a twinge in my shoulder."

"Rfff?" asked Akamaru.

"So Team 7 is here to support us? Where are they?" asked Kiba as he looked around.

"They're training too, at the bridge," said Hinata as she finished her ministrations.

"Naruto is... rather more impressive than he was at the Academy," said Shino.

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it," said Kiba, checking the tightness of the bandage and his mobility. "Right, Akamaru?"

"Rowr ruff rowl," responded Akamaru.

"Oh come on, we used to beat the snot out of him on the playground, how tough could he be?" asked Kiba.

"Rowl ruff," responded Akamaru.

"Che, right," said Kiba. "He can do that 'silent talk' jutsu and I admit that could be awfully useful, but I hear the Yamanaka can do that too."

"Kiba," said Shino in his usual formal tones, "I would request that you not attempt to begin an altercation with Naruto to test your theories regarding him."

"Feh, I wouldn't hurt him too badly," said Kiba.

"It would be upsetting to Hinata, after all," said Shino, trying a different approach.

"Oh," said Kiba. Well, they WERE engaged so that might actually be the case. Not that arranged marriages were anything he had a lot of respect for. "Okay, okay, no ambushes."

The ambush, when it came, was two days later.

* * *

Going under the assumption that he faced a genius of the Yamanaka clan, Haku crept forward under natural fog and kept his emotions and thoughts still. It was said that the mindbenders of the Yamanaka could sense even the tiniest Killing Intent, communicate with their allies without a word being spoken.

Of course, that might all be urban myth. It might be accurate or have merely some accuracy. It was prudent to proceed as if the worst case was true.

There was the reinforcement team, plus one. The dark-haired girl he'd spoken to.

He had chosen his time for the approach carefully. Usually the boy was put through the grinders in the morning, utilizing his ninja puppetry skills (Zabuza had thought the techniques sounded more like that as opposed to some sort of Wind technique) to the maximum extent he was. Then came lunch, where everyone's attention was on something else.

Both teams likely had signal rockets, but that wouldn't matter when Zabuza thickened the fog. The dog-handler and the bug-keeper were, as usual, near the target's home along with the genjutsu specialist.

The only problem with a lunch time attack was that the dark-haired girl had been excusing herself from her own team in order to go visit with the reinforcement team.

Haku reached the spot he'd chosen and forcibly stilled himself further. His mind had to be still and cold and calm as ice itself. Slowly he gathered his chakra and when he struck it was as quickly and precisely as he could manage.

* * *

_Today I am going to say it. Today I am going to let Naruto-kun know how I feel. He probably already knows, but it's important to SAY it._

"You sure now how to cook, Hinata-chan," said the object of her affections as he scarfed down another riceball.

Hinata scooted closer to Naruto. Just a tiny bit. They were almost touching now.

She could tell how amused some of the bridge-workers were, eating their own lunch from their own places. Rough laughter from that remaining group made her flush red and duck her head, but she held her place.

"A-a-ano, Naruto-kun," began Hinata, then ducked her head again as the unwanted stuttering started up again. She swallowed nervously. _Now's my chance. His team is paying attention to something else. I can't falter._ "N-Naruto-kun, I-"

Naruto frowned and stood up, looking around. "Something's off."

At which point, before Hinata's startled eyes, Naruto went down with a handful of senbon going through his neck.

* * *

"I think she's making her move," whispered Sakura to the other two.

"Hmph," was a smirking Sasuke's only response. Well, other than the smirk.

Kakashi even seemed to have a smirk though, though you really couldn't tell for sure under that mask.

Kakashi lost that smirk and stiffened abruptly. "Hold it. Someone's -"

There was a sharp wordless cry from Hinata as Naruto went down, followed by the fog billowing thick around all of them.

"Civilians! Get off the bridge!" called out Kakashi, using his kunai to deflect several senbon that came out of the fog at him. "Sasuke, Sakura, protect the client."

Sakura nodded and moved towards Tazuna. Sasuke on the other hand had his kunai out and was looking in all directions.

Killing Intent, hot and heavy, washed over them. Sakura stumbled and went still. Sasuke likewise stiffened, going into a defensive posture.

"More little genin playing at being ninja?" said a voice seeming to come from everywhere at once in the fog. "Where do I start and which killing strike to use first?"

* * *

She could still feel him, his warmth and presence had dimmed but she still felt it. Her Byakugan, when her attention went to him, noted the tiny movements of his nostrils, the minute dilation of pupils, the microtremors in muscles. Naruto lay near death, and if his attacker realized that Naruto was NOT dead - they would finish him off while he was helpless.

She would NOT let that happen.

THERE.

She hated to leave his side. He was helpless. He needed her. To save him though, she would walk through the fires of Hell. She would face the greatest demon ever to walk the land. She would even face up to her father.

"Civilians! Get off the bridge! Sasuke, Sakura, protect the client," came Kakashi-sensei's voice as the fog thickened around them.

Not that the fog could conceal anything from her. She marked the Hunter-nin's location, standing out on a piling that was 15ft 7 inches away. Amazing that he could hit something with a senbon at this distance. Closing fast was Zabuza, his sword held high though his course indicated he was heading for Kakashi-sensei's position.

She darted out, completely silent. She wanted to scream a battlecry and strike in fury. No, this was best.

Zabuza noticed her and his sword swung out quickly. Hinata crouched a little lower so that the blade passed overhead rather than taking her head, and then uncoiled, striking precisely along her opponent's spinal column as she leapt past.

"ARGH! YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

She didn't expect to slow him down for long, the man was a jonin-level opponent after all, but she'd taken the opening he'd given her. Maybe he'd seen her as the little girl who'd hung back and protected the client during their last attack. Maybe he'd seen her as weak and helpless.

She focussed in on the Hunter-nin, who was now heading their way. She frowned as she looked past the mask.

They could see through the fog. Then again, she could do that too.

* * *

"ARGH! YOU LITTLE BITCH!" yelled a gruff male voice, sounding as if in serious pain.

Kakashi was in movement by the first syllable, speeding in and ready to eliminate the threat.

Zabuza was down, apparently trying to get his legs working?

Kakashi glanced around, seeing a flicker of motion. _Hinata?_

* * *

Haku was ready for it, already knowing what was heading his way. He felt the Intent, and he knew why.

She was fast. Not as fast as Zabuza or himself, not nearly as strong, but still much faster than was usual.

She'd also created a pair of images, but those were pretty useless at present. Trailers of mist were not disturbed by the simple images, and so revealed which of the three was the real girl.

Haku held the senbon he favored as weapons, waiting. The girl moved back and forth, swapping with her images - though she wasn't fast enough to really accomplish what she was trying to do.

The kunai knives arced out, about when Haku expected them. The only surprise involved was a minor one - that she had enough presence of mind to make bunshin of the kunai as well.

Avoiding them was easy, though the girl was just using them to cover her continued approach.

Right into his trap. If she had more experience, this wouldn't be so easy. Haku flicked senbon out, waiting for the opening he knew would come.

"Icy grip."

* * *

She knew what was happening. She was running on nearly all-adrenaline.

Hinata dodged to the side at the first pair of senbon, did a quick spin to avoid the next three, and struck out the moment she was close enough.

"Icy grip," said Haku, thrusting one hand out to graze along Hinata's arm.

Hinata winced as her left arm went numb and ice formed along that limb. However, she'd seen the chakra forming and that had been her plan. Her right arm struck out as Haku blocked.

Which allowed her to send a chakra spike into HIS arm to turn that limb useless.

Pivot, bring up the leg. She really wasn't good at this but she could manage to hit that point in his right knee with her foot before he could withdraw.

Haku yelped as he found that leg unable to support his weight. He swayed but didn't quite fall down.

"Got you," said Hinata, hand darting in for a finishing blow.

Now it was Haku's turn, managing to thrust a senbon through her remaining arm as soon as she had extended.

Hinata countered by kicking at his remaining leg and then leaping backwards to a position where she could guard Naruto as best she could without her arms.

When she did, she couldn't help but smile as she noticed one senbon after the other seeming to slowly work itself out of her flesh and drop to the surface of the bridge.

* * *

She'd heard the fighting, and heard the grunts and Hinata saying 'got you' - but she hadn't been able to SEE a darn thing.

Sasuke was out there somewhere, so was Kakashi.

Naruto was down, apparently the attackers had decided he was the most dangerous one. Based on what she'd seen of that one training ground when she'd come back to satisfy her curiosity about what she'd slept through - she could see why they'd think such a thing. Well, that and having stone and metal objects weighing LOTS floating around overhead.

Things were so much simpler when everything followed the script she'd determined years ago. Sasuke would be awesome and cool. She would be the supportive kunoichi who would one day win his heart. Naruto was just an annoying and stupid clown.

Continuing to scan the fog around her, Sakura wondered exactly when someone had changed the scripts on her.

* * *

_Elsewhere:_  
"WACHOOOOO!"

A black cat rubbed his nose. "Oops. That wasn't supposed to happen. Oh well, maybe it'll be amusing."

* * *

_The Bridge:_  
Kakashi held his kunai to the missing-nin's throat. "-so anyway, I did a little digging before we left, and apparently you're not the first missing-nin to be on Gatou's payroll. The others have all become really missing afterwards."

"I hadn't heard anything about that," grunted Zabuza.

"One of the nice things about being part of a ninja village is that we have resources that a wandering-nin does not," said Kakashi. "So, do we have a deal?"

"I really underestimated that girl," muttered Zabuza.

"Yes, well, we have some exceptional genin this year," admitted Kakashi cheerfully.


	9. Chapter 9: Trial by fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 9: Trial By Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

Gato watched the mist billowing around him with calm anticipation.

He had the usual group of mercenaries. They were good with the sword and fist. Turn them loose on the majority of problem individuals and they could handle it. They were the ones who would stay loyal as long as their paychecks came in. The ones who stuck with him no matter how dirty the job.

Unfortunately, with all this fog - seeing what was going on was becoming very difficult.

"You," said Gato, addressing his most recent employee and one whose loyalty he was NOT absolutely sure of, "you're sure you can take them all?"

"Zabuza, Copy Nin Kakashi, the genin, yeah," said the new hire. "Kakashi's the tough one. My clan techniques will take out the others no problem. Kakashi can see through genjutsu with that Sharingan, and my technique is related to genjutsu. If he's good enough, he'll only be slowed down by it."

"That's..." Gato was momentarily distracted as condensation gathered and trailed down the woman's tight white shirt to drip off of her breasts. That trail had been quite distracting to watch. "That's of no consequence. My men here can finish him off in that much time."

The woman's eyes were closed. "There's a strong one there. I can feel the fires of her determination. There's another I don't understand, but your other ninja seem to have struck him down from ambush. Give them points for that at least."

Gato eyed the woman. Comely enough, despite being all in shades of pale, but this was business. As soon as she got rid of the ninjas - she could be gotten rid of herself. He knew that she was actually of his 'business partners' to keep an eye on him, and he deeply resented those others interfering in the way he operated.

Gato was contemplating the fog and missed the way the new employee opened one eye to regard him before going back to tracking chakra signatures.

* * *

Zabuza did a quick substitution with a water clone, and the game kicked up a notch.

Sasuke went hand to hand with Haku only to have Haku use one-handed signals to produce a number of ice mirrors.

Kakashi reoriented on Zabuza, having reacted in time for his kunai to have lodged in muscle.

Sakura stood guard in front of Tazuna.

Hinata stood guard over Naruto.

_Ting_ went another senbon as it came out of Naruto's neck on its own.

At Tazuna's home, two mercenaries kicked in the door and attempted to hold Tazuna's daughter hostage. Kiba and Akamaru didn't bother to tie up the mercenaries in question as they opted instead to just beat them so severely that neither mercenary was going to be in any shape to threaten an anemic gerbil.

Shino and Kurenai arrived at the bridge to find the thick fog hampering their sight of events. The fog being thick enough that Shino's flying insects would have trouble with it, as there would be condensation on their wing surfaces making flight difficult.

There was an abrupt pulse of something centered near Hinata. The fog thinned within seconds, becoming a sheet of water covering nearly everything.

Zabuza was not alone in looking towards the far end of the bridge which was now in clear view.

The end of the bridge that had all the mercenaries, Gato, and a ninja whose forehead protector had a question mark.

"A ninja from the Village Hidden In Mystery?" asked Kakashi aloud upon seeing that.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Zabuza.

"You haven't lived up to your end of the contract, they're still alive," said Gato. "That's why I'm terminating the contract. And yourselves of course."

The woman stepped forward. "Zabuza. There's a bounty on your head from Hidden Mist. I'll just claim that little bonus when I turn your corpse over to them."

There was another noise as Naruto slowly got up, pulling the last senbon from his neck. He looked wobbly and unsteady, but he was standing.

"I think I've seen you in the Bingo Book," said Zabuza thoughtfully. "Ehma the Mind Bender. Whose specialty is in turning loose the victim's inner demons to ravage their psyche."

"How flattering that you've heard of me," said Ehma Frjost. "Now, rather than face what I've heard is a Yamanaka genius. I'll just destroy all of you with a single attack. Shuga Akuma NO JUTSU!"

The black ball of chakra flew out towards Naruto, who raised an arm weakly to try and block.

Kakashi knew a moment of horror as he tried to shunshin into the path of the attack and knew he'd be too late. Turning the beast within Naruto loose on this bridge would likely kill all of them and was clearly the assassin's intent.

Hinata moved and the attack struck her in the back.

Everyone watched, waiting to see what monster would emerge from the dark recesses of Hinata's mind.

"Na-Naruto," said the girl, still hunched over from taking the attack.

"Eh?" asked Naruto.

_KA-GLOMP!_

"I love you! You inspire me! I love you!" _SMOOCH SMOOCH SMOOCH!_

"Uhm, wha-?" managed about half of the people there.

"That... wasn't how it was supposed to work," said Ehma, scratching her head. "A ninja is supposed to be a dark assassin who kills without mercy. So why is her 'inner demon' grafting herself onto that boy?"

"Uhm," said Kakashi as the two genin crashed to the surface of the bridge. "Actually, she's very shy and doesn't have much of a killer instinct."

Hinata made a pleased little sound as she continued to cuddle onto Naruto with such force that Naruto might just end up with a cracked rib or something.

"Oh, well," said Ehma, forming another sphere of darkness in her hand. "None of the rest of you have anything like-"

Thousands of bugs suddenly obscured Ehma from view.

"Good job, Shino," said Kurenai approvingly.

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" said Ehma as she jumped off the edge of the bridge into the waters below.

"Didn't anyone tell her about the alligators?" asked one of the mercenaries.

"Kakashi? I think I'll take that offer of yours," said Zabuza.

"I thought you might come around to that point of view," said Kakashi.

"All of you! Kill them!" declared Gato. "Kill them all!"

"Uhm," said one of the more vocal mercenaries. "Weren't they supposed to have beaten each other up first?"

"We can still beat you!" said Gato, pointing at the ninja. "My mercenaries outnumber you, two hundred to one!"

"Actually, it's two hundred to seven," said Haku.

"Narutoooo-kun," said Hinata, still clinging to Naruto.

"I think Naruto's passed out," observed Sasuke.

"You take care of him, Hinata-chan!" said Sakura, pumping a fist. "We've got this end."

"Maa, Sakura, you really shouldn't encourage her while she's under the influence of a mind-disruption jutsu," chided Kakashi.

Sasuke was just glad that Sakura hadn't been hit with such a thing. The horror.

"Okay, five against two hundred," said Haku.

"Kakashi, Zabuza, Haku, Sasuke, me," said Sakura.

"Seven," said Kurenai as she and Shino joined the others.

"Now," said Gato.

Crossbows went off.

Sakura winced as she saw one heading towards her, then blinked, reached out, and tapped the dart floating in midair. "Uhm."

"Nice to know you're still with us, Naruto," said Kakashi, who'd been ready to deflect it.

"That's right," said Sakura, deciding her time to impress Sasuke had finally arrived. She snatched the dart out of the air. "This sort of thing can't stooooooo ugh." (THUD!)

"Poisoned darts?" asked Sasuke. "Why poisoned darts?"

"That's for me to know," said Gato, "and you never to find out!"

"It's because," said Naruto, getting up despite having a Hinata wrapped around him, "the poverty in Wave was created for a specific reason. Gato is one of several people, and they've been kidnapping and selling people."

"Slavers?" asked Kakashi, his visible eyebrow arching.

"How did you know that?" asked Gato. "Kill them! Kill them all! Except the girls, we can sell them later."

"Oh, you did not just say that," said Kurenai.

"Naruto, you up to laying a little fire down?" asked Kakashi.

"No, sensei, those senbon screwed me up a bit," said Naruto. "Uhm, Hinata? You can let go any time now."

"Nuh uh," said Hinata.

"Why aren't you killing them?" asked Gato, turning to confront his men. "What?"

"They really didn't put up much of a fight," said Zabuza, shaking blood off his sword.

"So, a slaver operation?" asked Kurenai. "Hinata. Please let Naruto go so he can lead us to the holding pens. We might as well be thorough."

"You don't need Gato alive to read the location do you?" asked Kakashi of Naruto.

"No, sensei," said Naruto. "Already got it."

"Well, I suppose that's good," said Kakashi as something messily violent occurred to the shipping magnate.

* * *

"-and so after Kakashi's team arrived we managed to find the slaver operation, discovered evidence of this cartel, freed the prisoners, opened the locks on Gato's safe, and have returned," said Kurenai, taking a deep breath at the end of that. "I've filled out a report on the way."

"I... see," said the Hokage, obviously not delighted in the stack of paperwork just added to his desk.

"Yes, Naruto's use of what would be considered Yamanaka clan techniques is quite handy," added Kakashi.

"Inoichi Yamanaka has apparently overheard some of what Naruto is capable of," said the Hokage. "He wants to train Naruto. He ALSO wants to engage Naruto to his daughter in hopes of founding a bloodline with the Yamanaka specialty, but I understand he has some hurdles at home before that happens."

"Well, at least the effect of that mind jutsu on Hinata only lasted a few hours, otherwise it could have become difficult," Kurenai said, mainly to Kakashi.

"I don't think she's said anything or even looked directly at Naruto since then," said Kakashi.

"Any thoughts on the Chunin Exam, as it IS fast approaching?" asked the Hokage.

"My team will be ready, and I'll put in for them to participate," said Kurenai Yuhi. "They all did quite well considering the situation."

"Now what about these EXTRA ninja you returned with?" asked the Hokage.

"Well, things got a little complicated," admitted Kurenai.

"I admit I might have started the ball rolling on that one," admitted Kakashi.

* * *

Inoichi Yamanaka was one of the more skilled of the wielders of the hijutsu (clan techniques) of the Yamanaka clan. While the techniques could potentially be learned by anyone, and was therefore not a kekkei genkai, their family use of those abilities had made them more efficient users of those techniques. Eventually, it was expected that the line would be crossed and those techniques would actually be written into the family DNA - a genetic inheritance of greater ability.

The Yamanaka hijutsu involved telepathy. Mind-to-mind communication, possession, thought and memory reading, and similar abilities were within its grouping.

Naruto Uzumaki, as Inoichi and a few others knew, was not the prison of the Ninetailed Fox. He was the prison of the Twelve Tailed Phoenix. Who had steadily over the past year begun making noise on a level that a few of the higher-ranked practitioners of the Yamanaka techniques had begun picking up on.

Occasionally there would be words, more often just feelings, and on occasion just a feeling of power that made the mind connections of those Yamanaka thrum like a bow string.

At one point, many of those of the Yamanaka family had felt a sudden burst of loneliness and longing sweep over them like a tall wave upon a shore. At first, they hadn't even known the source of those emissions.

Inoichi had studied those feelings, studied the developments, and worked out what was going on. He'd then started after the Hokage, because this was something of great importance to his clan.

If he could get Naruto into his clan, Inoichi Yamanaka had determined through his studies, the day that the Yamanaka clan techniques crossed the border between hijutsu and kekkei genkai would change from "sometime in the future" to "within the next two generations."

There were two problems with that. His daughter regarding Naruto as an uncool oaf and her infatuation with Sasuke Uchiha was one major stumbling block. There were also many of his own clan who would be anywhere from "mildly against it" to "downright antagonistic" to the idea.

Which had led to the current compromise. He would train Naruto Uzumaki in a select few of the techniques of his clan specifically to get him to tighten up his control of his talents so that there was less "noise" interfering with his own clan's abilities in that regard.

Though he was looking at some other complications that had developed as well.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"I do not understand, Zabuza-sama," said Haku. "Am I of no use to you any longer?"

Zabuza looked down at his young apprentice, his eyes as cold as ever for a moment. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"You want me to go with them, and be of this Leaf Village, is that not what you said?" asked Haku.

Zabuza snorted. "I thought the Leaf were weak with their soft coddling attitude. What do you think of them so far?"

"There are a number of them who show promise, that is clear," said Haku as he tried to understand this.

"That girl there," said Zabuza. "The one you didn't want to fight. She is inexperienced, reluctant to strike, yet fierce when she needs to be. I was barely able to move enough that a strike which would have paralyzed me instead reduced my mobility. That dark-haired boy, I saw his eyes blaze red - another Sharingan user. Then there's the blonde."

"Well, the pink-haired one seemed fairly useless," said Haku.

"She guarded our target through the whole thing, ready to buy him a second more life at the cost of her own," said Zabuza. "That isn't a particularly soft attitude, is it?"

"No, I suppose not," admitted Haku.

"Since the Leaf is not as weak as I'd heard, then having someone in that village could be useful to me," said Zabuza. "There's also your bloodline to consider. That will make you valuable to them, unlike our own country Konoha holds those with a kekkei genkai in high regard."

"You want me to spy on them then?" asked Haku, looking for an explanation.

"In part," said Zabuza, his voice speculative. "When I go back to finish what I started, it would help if I had the backing of others. Something that damn Copycat-nin said about that. That if I wanted to change the way Kirigakure operates, I'd need allies and I'd need to change my own tactics. That is truth. A ninja always changes their tactics when the situation changes, so long as the goal remains the same. The more allies, the more powerful the allies, the better my own odds of success."

"I see," said Haku.

"So go, join the Leaf Village," said Zabuza. "It will benefit you as well. Make friends. Maybe even start a clan, a clan that shares your bloodline would make a nice start for an army."

* * *

_Present:_

"Ibiki?" asked the Hokage.

The scarred special jonin stepped forward. "He has an agenda, but it doesn't look as if he is intending to betray us. He is willing to accept a loyalty seal."

"What of the others?" asked the Hokage.

"Exactly what they appear to be," said Ibiki. "Minor ninja, some with innate talents, who were captured and were going to be used in the slavetrade. They want to swear to Konohagakure after meeting Team 7. A few civilians with no innate talents for the ninja life who no longer have a home to return to."

"All comely females, I couldn't help but note," said the Hokage as he contemplated the ceiling.

"Yes, well, they were apparently captured and chained because of those two qualities," said Ibiki. "Gato's slave trade operations were mainly hard physical labor for the men, while the women were chosen for purely aesthetic values. There were reports that their families were killed in front of them in a few cases."

"Have the ones who want to become ninja tested," said the Hokage eventually. "We may be able to place them somewhere. The civilians can go to villages within Fire Country. Even when Naruto solves a problem, he seems to come up with another dozen problems for me to deal with."

* * *

"So you've basically gotten a few days before the Exam itself to prepare yourselves and decide whether or not you'll be taking it," said Kakashi to his team.

"Can you give us any details on the Exam, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura.

"Other than its dangerous, and that you REALLY need to win it?" asked Kakashi.

"Uhm," said Sakura, not certain of things. She'd felt REALLY useless in their recent adventure.

"Now, while you're deciding this, there are some individual things that need to be addressed," said Kakashi. "Naruto, you've apparently been causing some problems with either your wind or fire techniques. The Yamanaka clan are sending Ino Yamanaka to help train you so that you can stop hitting them with whatever it is you're doing."

Naruto cocked his head at that, not completely understanding it.

"Ino-pig's going to work with you?" asked Sakura. "Hah. I'll bet she'll just pester you for details on Sasuke-kun!"

"So what about Haku?" asked Naruto eventually.

"They've pretty much figured out his motivation, verified his bloodline, and unless he does something to mess it up - is most likely going to be accepted," said Kakashi.

"Well, that's some good news," admitted Sakura.

"Sasuke, since your Sharingan activated, it would be best if I gave you some one-on-one training," said Kakashi.

Sasuke nodded, knowing that their normally lazy instructor wanting to get his nose out of his book and actually play sensei meant SOMETHING. What it meant - that was more difficult to figure out.

"Kakashi-sensei? What about me?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, I knew I'd forgotten something," said Kakashi.

"Urk," sounded out Sakura, still feeling a bit inconsequential after the events in Wave. She sagged in place, feeling about six inches tall.

"I was kidding," said Kakashi. "Actually, I found someone who can spare a few hours in the morning to give you some additional training."

"Really?" perked up Sakura. "Are we working on my taijutsu? Ninjutsu? Genjutsu?"

* * *

Naruto was a little preoccupied as he waited in the assigned place.

He could tell Hinata was avoiding him. He didn't know why. Every single time he tried to send her reassurance or comfort, she FLINCHED. Her mental presence erected shields up around herself and hunkered down. He was pretty sure she hadn't had that mental bunker earlier, but he had to admit it would probably be a handy skill to develop and she was getting better at it just in the past day.

Oh sure, he could power through it. For all that it was getting stronger and firmer, it still felt like it could be taken apart if he really felt there was a need.

Naruto extended a fine probe and checked. She noticed almost immediately, there was a flash of nervousness and embarassment, and the sound of metal doors clanging shut as her defenses went into place.

It was very confusing.

* * *

"Yeah, right, Naruto the idiot," said Ino as she walked to the meeting spot. "Mental abilities. Need to train him. Heh. That's so... what is he DOING there?"

Naruto continued to sit on the post, apparently ignoring her.

"NARUTO!" yelled Ino, going up to and facing the boy.

Naruto continued to sit there, frowning slightly.

"Idiot, I..." Ino considered. Her father trying to get her interested in Naruto was SO lame. Okay, he'd done that flying thing. Probably ninja wires though. Hmmm. Hey, there was one way to prove there was nothing to this. "Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"

Ino felt the familiar rush as her consciousness sped out to the unmoving target. What followed though was a little less familiar.

Ino dropped the potato chip from her slightly greasy, somewhat chubby fingers, and screamed.

"Choji! What was THAT for?" asked Shikamaru.

Ino looked around, sitting behind Asuma's house with Shikamaru, watching Asuma and Shikamaru playing shogi. "What the heck? Why am I in CHOJI?"

Shikamaru looked at Choji for a few seconds before speaking again. "Ino. I thought you had business elsewhere."

"I did!" exclaimed Ino/choji. "I was in Training Ground Four! You're..."

"That's outside your usual range with that technique," noted Shikamaru.

"That's way outside ANYONE'S range with that jutsu," realized Ino/choji. "I was trying to possess Naruto."

Shikamaru sighed and turned back to the board. "Troublesome."

"I heard that Naruto might actually be from a lost branch family of the Yamanaka," mused Asuma.

"Hang on, I'm going to try again," said Ino/choji, releasing the technique.

"VERY troublesome," said Shikamaru.

* * *

Ino looked over Naruto again. As far as she could tell, he hadn't even noticed her attempt.

Taking a deep breath, she focussed again. "Mind Body Switch Technique!"

The familiar rush, but this time she felt the rush suddenly veer off and accelerate wildly.

Ino blinked and looked around.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?" asked a male voice.

"Sasuke? Where?" asked Ino eagerly, looking around.

"Okay, am I speaking to Naruto?" asked the male voice.

Ino glanced at the speaker, taking in the distinctive appearance. "You're Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke's jonin-sensei, aren't you? That means I'm in..."

"So, you're not Naruto, and you're not even sure where you are?" asked Kakashi, thinking for a moment. "Ino Yamanaka?"

"Yeah, I... OH KAMI! I'm in SASUKE!" declared Ino as she looked herself over.

Kakashi's hand clamped down on Sasuke's shoulder before his student could go running off. "You might want to let him go. I take it that you weren't planning on possessing Sasuke?"

"No, I was trying to possess Naruto," said Ino.

"Ah," said Kakashi. "Let me be the first to tell you then, that based on my personal experience. That is a Very Bad Idea."

"One more try," said Ino/sasuke.

"Huh? What happened?" said Sasuke a moment later. "Why are my hands in my..."

"Ino is trying to possess Naruto and apparently ended up in you," said Kakashi. "That's why you're fondling yourself in the middle of a training session."

"AGHHHHHHHH!" said Sasuke, reacting by racing towards the lake and washing his hands and looking distinctly ill. Then he glanced back at Kakashi. "See. Fangirls BAD."

"Well, yes, I certainly can understand something of your point," said Kakashi. "She said she was going to try again. I wonder how many tries she's actually made."

* * *

"Mind Body Switch Technique! HA!" tried Ino, really throwing herself into the technique this time.

"Ungh," said Ino a moment later, as it had felt as if she'd been thrown even harder this time.

Evil laughter sounded. **What do we have here? Some succulent morsel placed within my reach? Will your soul taste as sweet as your blood?**

"WHAT?" squealed Ino.

"Gaara? Gaara, what's wrong?" said an unfamiliar girl with an unfamiliar Hitai-ate.

**Freedom! After so long! To crush and kill and destroy! To feel and taste rich red blood again!**

"Look at the sand!" said an unfamiliar boy wearing an outfit that looked like he'd stepped off some stage production as an extra.

Ino turned around in her mindscape, saw what was behind her, and FLED!

"Ungh," said Gaara as he beat down the beast within him, ignoring his howls for freedom and vengeance.

"Gaara, get control of yourself," hissed Temari. "You'll endanger the mission."

* * *

Ino considered Naruto for a few moments before deciding what to do about this.

As she circled the meditating Naruto, she heard a whisper.

"Why, Hinata?" whispered Naruto. "Why are you holding me off?"

"Hinata?" asked Ino, rewarded when Naruto's eyes shot open and focussed on her. "Well, it's about time!"

"Ah, Ino," said Naruto. "Sorry, I got a bit distracted while I was waiting for you."


	10. Chapter 10:Wavering Fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 10: Wavering Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

Ino made plans. She would break through Naruto's defenses. The challenge had been thrown in her path. No doubt while worrying and using his abilities, his defenses had been up despite it looking to have not been the case.

She went over the diagrams with him, unfurling the scrolls and quickly going over basic mental exercises meant to hone control. Her own attention was only vaguely on them herself - she HAD learned such things years ago and these were second nature. To her, these were the rough equivelant of those little hiragana charts with pictures of doggies and other things to illustrate the letters.

Naruto, to her surprise, seemed to get them down quickly enough. Though he was obviously VERY distracted.

"So what's on your mind that you can't concentrate?" asked Ino finally, thinking back to what he'd mumbled. "Hinata? Hinata Hyuga?"

"Yeah, she's been avoiding me lately," said Naruto.

Their knees were touching as they knelt in the grass, allowing her to get some of the emotional content from Naruto. Confusion, exasperation, affection, and a touch of pride?

"Did you say anything or do anything to her?" asked Ino. Yeah, that HAD been Hinata who had been floating overhead in Naruto's wake that morning. Maybe that meant something? Hinata had always been watching Naruto, and had not shown interest in Sasuke. Why that would be was puzzling to Ino. Not that she wasn't glad to have a lack of competition from at least ONE girl.

"There was our mission to Wave," said Naruto. "She did pretty good, managing to partially disable a jonin opponent and even keep Haku busy. Then that one gal used that jutsu. Maybe that was it, maybe there was a late effect from that?"

* * *

Sakura Haruno was facing a distraction of her own.

_(dodge, dodge, block)_

She'd watched and observed, the cold empty feeling in the pit of her stomach growing as she tallied up the details.

_(duck, weave, sidestep)_

When they had finally landed from that flight into Wave, she had noticed how Sasuke had watched Hinata interacting with Naruto. How he had accepted a riceball from Hinata and he'd smiled just a little bit wider. How Sasuke had watched Hinata training in her jyuuken style in the morning, as Hinata wove through the kata and drills.

_(spin, duck, dodge)_

She had REALLY noticed how Sasuke had looked at Hinata after the fight on the bridge.

_(duck, dodge, jump)_

On the way back from Wave, Sasuke had glanced at or just outright looked at Hinata quite a few times.

_(spin, jump to the side, block)_

Sakura hadn't wanted to believe it, but there really could only be one conclusion: Sasuke was falling for Hinata Hyuga!

_(dodge, weave, duck)_

How? Why? Just because she had that Second Hyuga Bloodline (or so some of the other girls in taijutsu class had called it) and she was the heir of a major clan and had a major bloodline ability and such?

_(sidestep, duck, zig, zag)_

That was SO not fair.

_(POW! Imbed!)_

"You seem distracted," said the jonin instructor.

"Urk," said Sakura, still conscious but aware of whole new levels of hurtiness.

Ebisu sighed and adjusted his glasses. "While it is true your chakra control is slightly above average, your skills in taijutsu are sorely lacking. Genjutsu - you know the basic dispel but that's it. Pathetic. Ninjutsu - Academy basics but you lack any sort of creativity in its use. Traps - well, you seem to know enough about that to get by. Seals are currently beyond you. While you have the precise control necessary to imbue the scribing with chakra, you lack the amount of chakra required to properly bring off the end result."

"You got all that while throwing rocks and the occasional jutsu at me?" asked Sakura as soon as she could get her eyes uncrossed.

"A special elite jonin teacher like myself must master many talents," said Ebisu, not saying anything about having pulled her Academy records after Kakashi had approached him about training Sakura.

"Ah," said Sakura, not particularly believing this guy.

"So, I shall show you the basics of a D-Rank genjutsu, and have you practice it until it becomes second nature," said Ebisu. "It is called 'Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu' or the 'Hell Viewing Technique.' It is a genjutsu that causes the victim to see the one thing they most fear at that moment. However, you should be aware of one drawback to the technique. Some people will become MORE dangerous, not less, when confronted in such a manner with their fears."

"Oh?" asked Sakura, thinking that if she got a new jutsu out of it - a little pain was easier to deal with.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," said Ino Yamanaka.

"Nope, swear it's true, heard it from Sakura who's on Sasuke's team," said Shiko, holding her hand up as if swearing an oath. "I saw she looked depressed and heavily bruised so I asked what was up."

Ino glanced around her mother's flower shop as she considered what she was being told by the slightly younger girl. Shiko WAS another of the Sasuke Fanclub. She also was an Academy student still, and one who had little/no chance of actually landing Sasuke. "Sasuke is interested in Hinata Hyuga?"

Shiko nodded.

"The only girl in our age bracket who is NOT interested in Sasuke is the one who has caught his interest?" said Ino, still trying to wrap her mind around the concept of the shy little girl who had trouble saying anything in front of the class being able to get Sasuke's attention. Had Naruto actually been so pathetic on that mission that Hinata had finally gotten over him and gone after Sasuke?

"Yeah, apparently during that mission Team 7 had that took them to Wave Country," said Shiko. "Hinata apparently used her family kekkei genkai and that jyuuken to really good effect."

It was like putting a piece of a jigsaw puzzle into place and suddenly having an idea of what the picture was of. "Sasuke likes girls who are strong..."

Shiko thought about that and then nodded. "That makes sense. Sasuke's so cool, so naturally he'd gravitate towards having a strong partner. Wasn't his mother a jonin?"

"Mikoto Uchiha, yeah," said Ino.

"Ah," said Shiko, who then checked her watch. "Got to get going then."

"So Team 7 has a love triangle," mused Ino.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Naruto's after Sakura who is after Sasuke who is after Hinata?" asked Shiko.

"You're out of the loop on this one," chided Ino. "Naruto was after Sakura. That's been a year ago at least. Lately Naruto was interested in Hinata."

"Well, Hinata was always watching Naruto," said Shiko. "Though now that Sasuke's interested in her, I'd think she'll drop Naruto in favor of Sasuke."

"I'm not so sure," said Ino, putting together a few comments from Naruto into a picture. "Apparently Hinata dropped her interest in Naruto when he was so weak she ended up defending him during that Wave Country thing."

"Well, I heard that he was somehow related to you and had some Yamanaka techniques," said Shiko.

"I'm training him," admitted Ino. "He's almost as good as me, but he has hardly ANY control."

"Oh," remarked Shiko, thinking that Ino was so prideful in her abilities as a Yamanaka meant that Naruto must be really something to get a comment like that. Which meant that what she'd heard about him being a 'Yamanaka Prodigy' must be true after all.

* * *

Sakura would have loved nothing more than to just flop down on her bed and enter blessed sleep.

Unfortunately, her training under Ebisu required bathing and some de-stressing before she could allow exhaustion to overtake her.

And, honestly, would it KILL the man to offer some word of encouragement?

Still, after a day of working at it, she thought she had the 'Hell Viewing' genjutsu mostly down. She just had to find someone to use as a target for the practice. Maybe the next 'Find Tora' mission?

Sasuke? No. Even if he WAS looking at Hinata rather more than Sakura would prefer.

Naruto? Sakura laughed quietly to herself. Nope. If she'd heard right, that had been Kakashi-sensei's mistake during that bell test. Flash-fried Sakura was not a result she particularly wanted to see.

* * *

Shiko was eleven years old and one of the Academy students interested to some extent in Sasuke Uchiha. Her skills in taijutsu weren't too horrible, her genjutsu was terrible, and her ninjutsu was okay. Except for one area of specialization, which was information gathering. THAT she excelled at. She might have been an orphan but she had the basics of her family's secret techniques. She spent most of her time trying to recover them from barely remembered snippets from when she'd been younger.

Konoha had several eye-based clans, but Shiko's was hearing-based. She could hear better than the Inuzuka, tuning out some conversations and background noise in order to listen to a conversation halfway across Konoha. If given an enemy building and a few minutes time, she could count the number of people breathing in it.

Which, when one thought about it, made her the hub of just about any gossip to be found.

When Sakura saw Shiko leaving Ino's shop, she thought it the perfect chance to try a variance of the Hell Viewing Technique. Something light, not the full devastating attack, just a minor genjutsu like so.

Sakura watched as Shiko stumbled to a halt, staring at something in an empty alley, then go rushing off.

Sakura blinked. That had worked? Shiko hadn't looked particularly horrified, but had been quite upset. Sakura scratched her head, wondering if her impulse to practice had been wrong.

* * *

Naruto didn't know Shiko from Moegi, though admittedly Moegi was younger and slightly more familiar. Having the girl literally run into him was a bit bad, especially as she managed to knock the box of cinnamon buns out of his hands.

"G-gomen nasai!" said Shiko, bowing once. "I - I've got to go."

Naruto stopped as the strong image in the girl's mind was practically shouted at him. Hinata... in Sasuke's arms. Kissing?

Naruto blinked a couple of times as he cleaned up the spilled cinnamon buns and the girl ran off. Was that it? Was that why Hinata was avoiding him? She was attracted to Sasuke?

Naruto considered that, having been around them all through the Wave Country mission. Could it be? He certainly hadn't gotten that impression on the bridge. He had gotten mainly confusion from Hinata and some... smugness from Sasuke?

Was that it? He'd been dumped for Sasuke? Again?

* * *

Hiashi Hyuga paused as he overheard the servants talk. Gossip was beneath him, unless it reflected upon the Hyuga Clan of course. Since this DID, then he'd deign to listen without stooping to the indignity of appearing to listen.

Hanabi stopped when her father held up her hand, then her eyes widened as she overheard what the two frittery Branch Family girls were talking about. Sasuke Uchiha had chosen someone to replenish the Uchiha Clan with - and it was Lady Hinata?

The two gossipy girls realized at one point that they were overheard, and backed away nervously, fearing that the Head Family would take action. Instead Hiashi and his daughter simply walked sedately on to the dojo. Though both looked a little preoccupied.

* * *

Ino saw Sakura enter and was wondering what the other girl was doing when the scent of roses suddenly increased to almost overwhelming levels. "Sakura. Knock it off."

"Figured it out?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, you were kind of obvious," said Ino. "Genjutsu is supposed to be subtle."

"Yeah, which is why that Hell Viewing Technique doesn't work against experienced ninja, I guess," said Sakura. "So I'm trying to modify it a bit."

"Hell Viewing?" asked Ino.

"Yeah, supposedly it shows you that which you most fear, I'm trying to make modifications to it, but since it relies on the target's mind to supply details, it's not as useful against everyone." Sakura shrugged..

"I think I've heard of that jutsu, isn't there some problem with it?" asked Ino. "There was something..."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the one Kakashi-sensei used against Naruto that resulted in Pond Kakabaka," said Sakura.

"Speaking of which, now that Sasuke is after Hinata, I wonder what Naruto's going to do," said Ino.

"Don't remind me," said Sakura, shaking her head. "I'm going to have to try playing peacemaker between Sasuke's Sharingan and Naruto's hijutsu."

"Hmmm, so maybe I should make a funeral arrangement," mused Ino.

"Not helping," said Sakura flatly.

"With Shikamaru's laziness and Choji constantly eating, it's hard to credit it - but compared to your team we're gonna ace the Chunin Exams," bragged Ino. "With that sort of thing you might have your team trying to kill each other."

"Don't forget that if Hinata goes for Sasuke while Sasuke is after her, neither of us are going to get Sasuke," said Sakura.

"Not going to happen," said Ino.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Sakura.

"I checked around, not all members of the Uchiha clan have the Sharingan," said Ino. "All Hyuga have the Byakugan. So the Hyuga gift is a dominant trait, the Sharingan isn't. Sasuke wants to restore his clan, not be adopted into the Hyuga."

Sakura blinked several times. "You're sure?"

"Pretty sure," admitted Ino. "I'll ask someone more in the know about such things specifically when I get the chance, but that's what I got when I asked my uncle who handles the genealogy stuff for the Yamanaka clan."

* * *

Naruto was preoccupied. Sasuke and Hinata? When he'd touched her mind - he hadn't gotten a hint of that before. Yet maybe that was it. Maybe that was why she had closed her mind to him?

In that case, maybe he should wish them well and tell Sasuke not to hurt her?

The carrier of the Twelve-Tailed Phoenix thought back to the encounter. That girl had been so positive.

Naruto let out a deep breath, trying to figure out what was going on. When he glanced up at the Hokage Monument, it was to try and figure out what a Hokage would do in such a situation.

Naruto realized a familiar presence was nearby after a few minutes. The red-eyed jonin (related to Sasuke maybe?) was watching him from a bench in front of a place that sold dumplings.

"Whatever hit you, it must be pretty bad," said Kurenai after a few minutes.

"I just found out that something I'd really come to rely on, is no longer there for me," said Naruto, thinking that this was an entirely new kind of pain. One he could do without.

"Yeah, after watching you for a couple of minutes, Anko got disgusted and left," said Kurenai Yuhi. "That bad?"

"A girl just saw Hinata kissing Sasuke," said Naruto. "Apparently the two 'hit it off on the way back from Wave'... what's so amusing?"

Kurenai blinked as she had thought she was doing a good poker-face. "Hinata was kissing Sasuke? Hinata Hyuga? Girl I work with on a daily basis?"

"Uhm, yes," said Naruto, realizing he was feeling mirth rolling off the jonin.

"Did this girl think to check for a henge?" asked Kurenai.

"A 'henge'?" asked Naruto. "But... why?"

"Naruto, I've known Hinata Hyuga for years," said Kurenai. "When I was a chunin, one of the jobs I received was shadowing her while she went to and from school."

"Yeah?" asked Naruto.

"If Hinata actually kissed anyone, it would NOT have been Sasuke Uchiha," stated Kurenai. "And honestly, I'd think she'd have to have been under the effect of some massive genjutsu or drugged. Otherwise she'd faint before she got to that point."

"That might have been a contributing factor, actually," said Naruto. "When we were on the Wave Mission, I was immobilized by senbon thrown by an expert. I was tired from exercises and didn't react fast enough to block them. I was down, and Hinata protected me from some mind-affecting attack."

"Really?" asked Kurenai, going from amused to clinical interest in a heartbeat. "Tell me about it, in detail."

After listening for a few moments, and another cascade of amusement that the jonin barely kept under control at Hinata's reactions under the jutsu, Kurenai nodded. "All right. I'll check for any lingering effects. If she's still under some genjutsu - I'll have her evaluated. She can't go into the exams if she's under some form of mind altering jutsu."

After Kurenai left, Naruto turned towards the stall and waited. Eventually the woman in the trenchcoat stepped out from where she'd been spying.

"My advice, brat," said the woman, radiating truthfulness. "If you like her at all, you'll let her go. Love is vastly overrated."

Watching the second jonin walk off, Naruto decided he really needed to think about this.

* * *

Naruto took a deep breath and walked up to Hinata where she sat, winded from practicing her jyuuken and having thrown herself into the training to a degree that even Kiba had been taken aback.

Naruto ignored the growl and whine from Akamaru, or was it Kiba? He ignored the muted buzz from Shino's vicinity. He focussed entirely on Hinata and felt her shields snap even tighter around her. She was refusing to look at him? So it was true.

Naruto took a deep breath. "Hinata. I've heard about it."

"Eh?" asked Hinata.

Naruto nodded and was surprised to feel a tear tracking down his cheek. Dang, and he'd wanted to be all professional ninja. "If Sasuke makes you happy and you really want him as your boyfriend, then... I won't interfere. I hope we can be friends in the future though. Goodbye, Hinata. I'm sorry to have been such a bother to you."

He felt Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino staring at him as he left. He'd done the right thing though. He'd puzzled it over and over and this was really for the best.

* * *

"What just happened?" asked Kiba, noting that Hinata had apparently shut down.

"Naruto just stated that he knew about Hinata pursuing a relation with Sasuke Uchiha, and has relinquished any claim to Hinata, citing her own happiness was more important than his own," summed up Shino.

"I wasn't aware of Hinata being interested in Uchiha," said Kiba.

"Nor was I, though there may have been something going on as we returned from Wave," mused Shino. "They did share watches on two nights."

"You dumped Naruto," said Kiba to the still-not-moving Hinata. "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised you wised up to what a loser he is."

"I think she's in shock," said Shino, examining Hinata from his vantage point. The fact that she had went rigid and still about the time Naruto had mentioned Sasuke making her happy had been duly noted.

"Yeah, what a crybaby," said Kiba. "Guy needs to man-up some before he gets a girlfriend."

"Having observed the interaction between Naruto and Hinata previously during our mutual training and then again on the bridge, I had thought that there was significant emotional bonding there, though if Hinata has indeed chosen Sasuke Uchiha as a preferred partner - it appears my skills in observation and interpretation of human interaction needs refining."

Kiba blinked and looked towards Shino. "So you're saying you thought they were in love with each other, but apparently Hinata was just playing him?"

"No," whispered Hinata. "Why?"

"Why what? You're really better off ditching Naruto AND Sasuke, if you ask me," said Kiba.

"Oh, here you are," said Kurenai as she dropped to the clearing. "I was delayed by a messenger from the Hokage, but before I deal with his task I wanted to speak to you, Hinata... Did something happen?"

* * *

"Me and Hinata Hyuga?" asked Sasuke. "You do realize that taking mind-affecting drugs while being active duty as a ninja is pretty severely frowned on, don't you?"

"So you're denying the relationship between you and Hinata?" asked Ino.

"Absolutely," said Sasuke. "She's interested in - well here he is now. Naruto?"

"I just want to say, Sasuke, if you hurt Hinata, I'll kill you," said Naruto, before walking off.

Sasuke looked down at his ricebowl, up at Ino, over at Naruto's back as Naruto walked away, back to Ino. "What? Did someone put drugs in my ricebowl while I wasn't looking?"

"So you are in a relationship with Hinata," concluded Ino.

"You're nuts," said Sasuke, glancing at where Naruto had since walked out of sight. "Unfortunately this particular brand of nuts seems to be catching."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Ino, not completely sure about this.

"I'll have to talk to Hinata and see if she knows what's going on," said Sasuke.

* * *

"I don't know how this ever got this far," concluded Kurenai. "Nor why Naruto took the 'high road'... Anko."

"Is that the gal who smells like snakes who is in the trees over there?" asked Kiba, pointing helpfully.

"Anko, did you give Naruto some advice by any chance?" asked Kurenai.

"Genin shouldn't be in relationships," said Anko as she landed on the ground. "And a love triangle is just plain trouble."

Kurenai nodded, making connections. "Right."

"S-sensei?" asked Hinata, looking like she was about to faint or otherwise have a breakdown.

Kurenai rubbed her forehead. "I have to take care of something for the Hokage. I don't have time for this right now. Anko, don't mess with the genin's love lives. Hinata, avoid doing anything until I can talk to you AND Naruto AND possibly Sasuke. Kiba, try to find Kakashi and tell him I want to talk to HIM too. Shino, help Kiba track down Team 7's jonin. This is escalating out of control and you REALLY don't need this unresolved when the Chunin Exams come up."

"Eh, they aren't gonna survive anyway," said Anko. "I'm in charge of the second portion you know. Odds are Team 7 or Team 8..." Anko drew one finger across her neck and grinned evilly.

"Not helping," said Kurenai. "Really not helping."

* * *

Ino was REALLY hoping that Hinata was not going after Sasuke. Not only would this mean more competition regarding Sasuke, but now her father would be even MORE pushy about her giving Naruto a chance.

No, Ino was definitely planning on breaking into Naruto's apartment some night and finding out what he was hiding. Having her father trying to get them together was a nightmare best forgotten about.

* * *

_Blood, blood, blooooood! I thirst for it. Especially that blonde worm's blood!_

Naruto blinked and followed the thoughts to their source.

"Hey, a kid," said someone nearby. "I haven't tortured any kids for awhile."

Naruto looked at the Noh-theater extra-reject. "You might want to let him go."

"Yeah? Well, I don't want to," said the theater extra, shaking the little boy. "I hate kids. Are you gonna make me?"

"You know, I really don't need this right now," confessed Naruto. "But if you don't let him go, yeah. I'll make you."

"Kankuro, let him go," said the girl nearby. "We're not to make trouble."

_Kill kill kill KILL_

Naruto blinked and stopped. "Who is that over there with the bloodlust? Is he with you?"

Kankuro and Temari both blinked, looked at Naruto, then simultaneously slowly turned their heads to look at where he was pointing.

"Are you the blonde I should be killing?" asked Gaara as he dropped to the ground.

_Yes, yes, kill him too. Though mainly there's a blonde girl you should kill. Kill all blondes while you're at it._

"Kill ALL blondes?" asked Gaara aloud.

Kankuro looked pityingly at Temari.

Temari simply turned white and began moving backwards.

When she bumped into Naruto she glanced at him, frowned momentarily as if trying to remember something, then backed away from Gaara two more steps.

"What blonde girl do you want to bathe in the blood of?" asked Gaara. "Yes, I get it. You want her to die in a slow painful manner, but who? Really, mother, you're not being very clear."

Temari was Gaara's sister. Temari was a loyal kunoichi of Sunagakure. Temari was considering running all the way back to Sunagakure, possibly with her hands in the air and screaming. Or just running and hiding here.

The boy she was now hiding behind seemed familiar somehow, but right now the fact that Gaara had apparently decided she needed a sand coffin burial kind of took precedence.

Naruto felt the murderous presence boiling out of the boy with the "love" tattoo on his cheek. "Konohamaru? You might want to leave quickly."

The boy realized he'd been forgotten about, twisted out of Kankuro's now-loose grip, and sprinted out of the intersection as if demons were about to start massive amounts of destruction at any moment.

"Gaara, remember the plan!" tried Temari, seeing a very unfortunate and painful death in her near future.

"Killlllll," hissed Gaara.

Naruto tilted his head down a little. Thought over something he'd seen in the Yamanaka scroll. He ought to be able to do THIS.

Temari yelped as golden fire rose up around the boy she was hiding behind, then joined Kankuro in an exclamation when Gaara fell asleep standing up right there in the street.

* * *

"Wh-where am I?" asked the little boy, looking around him at the darkness. The only thing here besides himself and dark was the Shukaku and its chains.

"FREEDOM!" said the Shukaku as it rattled the chains holding it in place. "Free to ravage and slaughter at will!"

"No," said the blond boy as he stepped out of the shadows, wreathed in golden flame. "I've been wondering what's in me. Now we'll get to see."

"I'll feed on your," the Shukaku began, then paused as something began forming in the void. "Your blood and soul will nourish... oh hell no."

Dwarfing the Shukaku, which itself dwarfed Naruto and Gaara, a bird of gold and red flame spread its wings and brought claws and predator's beak up.

Shukaku repeated the phrase that Kankuro and Temari had used in the real world.

* * *

Gaara blinked and shook his head, then slowly turned to regard Naruto.

Naruto's glow vanished, then he took a deep breath, then shook himself as if just waking up. "Oh man. That was... tiring."

"You..." said Gaara, backing up until his back was resting against a tree. "You hurt mother."

"That thingie isn't your mother," said Naruto. "I mighta been asleep for a lot of the Academy stuff, but they DID cover some of that genetics-stuff."

"'thingie'?" asked Temari in a dry voice, almost a squeak. That Kankuro would later bring up and she would vehemently deny.

"I can't hear mother," said Gaara, his eyes never leaving Naruto. "She's... quiet."

"What?" asked Kankuro and Temari simultaneously, glancing at each other then Gaara and finally at the blond boy.

Temari fought off a sudden urge to put a sign on the boy that would read [Gaara Defense] and have the boy hang around a LOT more often.

"Mother is quiet," said Gaara again, seeming to relax some as what this meant became clear to him. "Kankuro, Temari, come with me. I'm going to get some sleep."

"WHAT?" asked Temari and Kankuro together.

"I think I can actually get some sleep," said Gaara as if faced with something of great wonder that he'd fancied for a very long time.

Temari had gotten three blocks away before she realized where she'd seen the boy's picture before.

* * *

"Look," said Kurenai. "I understand. You yourself had problems with that when you were even younger than them."

"You call that just 'problems'?" asked Anko.

"Yes, and I certainly agree that they ARE young," said Kurenai. "It's just that-"

"Whoa," said Anko as she came to a halt. "Did you feel that?"

"The sudden feeling of danger as if something woke up and then looked for other prey?" asked Kurenai.

"That would be the one," acknowledged Anko.

"Nobody else seems to have noticed," noted Kurenai as she looked around the crowded street.

"There's an ANBU that looks staggered," said Anko, inclining her head slightly.

"This does not bode well," said Kurenai.

* * *

"So you dumped Naruto?" asked Hanabi as she jumped behind her older sister.

"Erk," said Hinata, wondering how far the gossip had ranged at this point.

"Eh, about time I guess," said Hanabi, nodding. "You couldn't hold onto him anyway. Huh. He's got a powerful bloodline. Maybe I should reserve him?"

"Erk," repeated Hinata.

"Where's the rest of your team?" asked Hanabi finally.

"Kiba and Shino are looking for Team 7's jonin," responded Hinata. "Kurenai-sensei was handed a task by the Hokage."

Hanabi looked around the training ground. "So they dumped you here all alone? Why don't you go chase after that Uchiha boy if you like him so much?"

"I don't!" said Hinata, sounding miserable.

"Yeah right," said Hanabi, "that's why he's coming down the trail there."

Hinata blinked and looked up. Sure enough, that was Sasuke Uchiha with Ino Yamanaka trailing behind him.

Hinata blinked again. What now?

Hanabi just shook her head. Just when she thought her older sister was finally getting her act together, finding something she was at least vaguely competent at, and being able to contribute to the clan - she had to pull something like this. Hopeless.

* * *

"He's resting peacefully," said Temari as she closed the door to the room.

"So what do we do?" asked Kankuro, beside himself. Or beside Crow at the moment.

"Gather intel?" asked Temari. "That boy took down the Shukaku in two minutes tops! How can we face that?"

"We've got orders, what can we do?" asked Kankuro.

"That boy was that kid in the briefing, the one with the bloodline," said Temari.

"Your infiltration and seduction mission was cancelled a week later," said Kankuro. "It was weird how it was dropped so suddenly, but you know how he gets if we question the Kazekage."

Temari nodded. Yes, he was their father. No, that didn't cut them any slack. No, that did not mean there was any acknowledgement of familial bonds.

"You keep an eye on Gaara," said Temari eventually. "There are too many things about this that just strike me as wrong. If anyone asks, I'm gathering intel on secondary targets."

"Which has the benefit of being the truth," noted Kankuro with a nod. After opening the door and glancing in on Gaara, Kankuro shook his head. "This is SO weird."

* * *

"You hear?" said the guy walking up to his buddies at the bar. "That Hyuga girl dumped Uzumaki in order to go after the Uchiha."

"About time," said one of those buddies.

"I actually feel sympathy for the kid," said one of the others, adjusting his hat.

"As many times as you've gotten the heave-ho, that ain't that hard to believe," said the newcomer.

"Well, yeah," said the hatwearer. "I mean, look at what happened with their Wave mission. Boy did good. Ain't no way he's what everybody used to say - wouldn't fit at all. So he's been hated by everyone in the village, or nearly so. Goes out, does a good job, makes a few friends, gets a girl interested in him. Everything's going right. Now the girl dumps him to become yet another Uchiha fangirl? Man, that's even worse than what happened when Mika dumped me for Tatsuhiro."

The various bargoers considered that and then there were a few nods.

Temari finished sipping on her water, having used a jutsu that removed the alcohol. Very interesting. The boy had just been dumped, so picking him up might be easy.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

No, Hinata is not out of the running yet. Yes, this is a setup for a further development.

Can't have things run TOO smooth, after all. 


	11. Chapter 11:Sharing a Fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 11: Sharing A Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

Ino followed Sasuke, seeing that Hinata and Hanabi were in the training grounds.

Not that she'd met Hanabi before, but the Hyuga resemblence was pretty easy to pick up on.

"Hinata?" asked Sasuke, stopping a few feet away. "Do you have any idea where this nonsense about you and me is coming from?"

"I have no idea," responded Hinata. "You?"

"I think it all started when you started avoiding Naruto," said Sasuke. "You're going to have to tell him."

"B-b-but I can't, I mean," said Hinata, turning red and looking at her hands.

"Uhm, so you're saying it's true?" asked Ino of Hinata.

"Eh?" asked Hinata.

"No, it is NOT true," said Sasuke. "Hinata spoke maybe five words to me on those nights we shared watches."

"So you two weren't kissing near my store?" asked Ino.

"NO!" declared Sasuke. Hinata merely looked stricken.

"She's not denying it," pointed out Ino.

"Hinata, tell her," said Sasuke.

"B-but I- that is- I-" said Hinata.

"Pathetic, as usual," declared Hanabi. "You watch that clanless boy for years, and when you start improving and showing signs of being less than a complete failure - you turn your back on it and embrace failure."

"Th-that's not -" Hinata shook her head.

"Now you've demoted yourself to being another useless fangirl of the Last Uchiha," said Hanabi, putting a considerable amount of venom into it.

"HEY!" protested Ino.

"You're of the main branch of the Hyuga clan!" said Hanabi, showing signs of a cold anger. "If you like a boy, say it! Demand your place at his side! If there's an obstacle - you go past it! Take no prisoners!"

"I- I- can't," sobbed Hinata before running away.

Hanabi sighed.

"That was a pretty good performance," noted Sasuke.

Hanabi shrugged. "Acting class. I'm most likely to be clan heir, and the clan heir must look out for all members of the clan."

"Hopefully it works," said Sasuke.

"I'm going to try and find her," announced Ino, turning to go after Hinata. "She definitely needs relationship advice."

"Blind leading the blind," said Sasuke as he watched her leave.

"Indeed," said Hanabi with a raised eyebrow.

* * *

Naruto staggered to the side, one hand coming up to touch his right temple.

"Maybe that hadn't been a good idea," mumbled Naruto to himself as he realized he was now leaning against a wall. Pushing off from the wall, he made his way towards his apartment.

Letting the beast within slip its bond just a bit had worked, and it had certainly taken his mind off the mess with Hinata dumping him to be with Sasuke. Unfortunately, the twelve-tails had been disturbed from its rest and was now stirring. Keeping it contained was his primary job, and he really needed some rest to try and get everything sorted out.

* * *

Ino had seen him stagger home, looking more and more tired as he went.

She'd realized that this was the perfect chance.

There was no way he'd be able to block her now, and then she'd find out his secrets.

* * *

"Hey, Inoichi," said the Akamichi clan head. "Isn't that your daughter going in the window of that Uzumaki boy's apartment?"

None of the three friends noticed the girl with the black hair stiffening, gasping, or her head whipping around to look at the apartment building in question. Nor did they really notice the way the veins popped up around her eyes. It was a ninja village, you had to be able to tune out a certain degree of weirdness.

"While I'm pleased to see she's taking the initiative and dropping the Uchiha in favor of a less crowded playing field," said Inoichi eventually, "I really can't say I approve of my little girl doing that."

_FWAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!_ went a gout of flame out the window that Ino had just gone in.

Slowly Ino crawled out of the window, made her way to the roof, and abruptly vanished from view.

"On the one hand, I'm relieved, and on the other, I feel sorry for my daughter," commented Inoichi Yamanaka.

* * *

Hinata had heard, she had activated her Byakugan and witnessed, and she had immediately felt guilty about feeling a thrill of satisfaction when Ino Yamanaka had failed to do something to a sleeping Naruto.

That Naruto was still asleep, and Ino was unconscious on the roof, both easily seen via her Byakugan, was merely a reason for her to go up to the roof of Naruto's apartment building and make sure the girl was all right. Once she had done that, she'd been a little puzzled by her findings. Ino's heartrate was faster than normal, her eyes were rolled up in her head and glazed over, and she was twitching a lot.

Hinata may have been upset at Ino for trying to seduce Naruto (what else could have been happening?) but she didn't want to see her hurt.

Making a quick decision, Hinata went down to Naruto's apartment, opened the door, and dragged the girl in. It was better than leaving her out in the elements, right?

As she was already there, it was not at all improper for her to want to check on Naruto. Right? Right!

What her Byakugan had told her was fitful sparks and glows around Naruto were now revealed as flashes of golden fire. Since that was potentially hazardous to Naruto, his apartment, and provided an excuse to wake him up and talk to him - she squared her shoulders and approached.

* * *

Hinata centered herself with a deep breath, strode forward with determination, prepared to rescue Naruto-kun.

The apartment vanished.

Hinata looked around, finding herself standing in an almost all-encompassing darkness.

Except that when she focussed on the darkness she could see flecks of light shot through it.

Except also that in one particular direction, there was a bird of flame.

She could see Naruto in the belly of the bird, curled up and asleep but not restfully. He looked in pain.

That gave her the courage she needed. She strode forward to quickly close the distance between her and Naruto. On reaching it, she put her hand forward to reach through the flames and awaken him.

A hand closed on her wrist.

Hinata turned and stared when she saw herself.

"You're not worthy of him," said the other Hinata. "Weak. Indecisive. Loser."

"How?" asked Hinata.

"Aspects of your Self," said a third Hinata, stepping out of the flame. "You're always beating yourself up, and here - in this realm - that can be quite literal."

Hinata looked between the two duplicates. One of whom was sneering in contempt at her, and the other seemed coldly analytical. "Byakugan!"

"Idiot," snarkingly said Hinata-2. "If you're already IN a genjutsu, then your vision can't dispel it."

"You're BOTH idiots," said Hinata-3. "It's not a genjutsu. It's more in line with some of my clan techniques."

"Who?" asked Hinata before realizing. "Ino?"

"What?" asked Hinata-3, before producing a hand mirror and looking at herself. "What? Oh hell. Hang on."

Hinata-3 shimmered and became Ino Yamanaka.

"My own duplicate is around here somewhere, I can't beat her," said Ino.

"Of course not," said Ino-2, forming out of the flames. "Everything you know, I know. I AM the real you, after all."

"I'm the original," said Ino-1, blocking a taijutsu strike from the other.

Hinata considered her own duplicate, then turned as quickly as she could and thrust her hands into the fire.

It burned. She could feel the skin cooking, her hands charring. The pain was incredible, but she could just reach Naruto if she went a little further.

The fire seemed to be not only cooking her outside, but INSIDE as well. The pain was such that she closed her eyes and stumbled forward, but she HAD to do this.

"Don't leave," whispered Naruto, his arms shooting out to pull her suddenly close.

Hinata didn't immediately note the lack of pain from her burns, or that her wounds had suddenly vanished. She WAS aware of Naruto smelling of sweat and grass and ramen. She also was quite aware of being held close by Naruto.

There was a sudden fierce desire sweeping through her. "No. I won't leave."

She did, however, pass out from the echoes of the pain and effort she'd had getting there.

The other Hinata shimmered and vanished.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka knew she was doing it wrong. The only problem was that she was drawing a complete blank on what the right response would be.

She was fighting a version of her "dark side" - the parts of her mind that others viewed as negative. A wash of flame went over her and her duplicate, and both were injured by it.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," said Ino finally.

"Giving up?" asked other-Ino.

"No, trying a different path," said Ino, darting forward.

Other-Ino grinned and settled into her ready stance, only to have her eyes widen as Ino instead changed course and took three steps more before leaping into the inferno.

* * *

The fire burned her, she could feel it scouring her inside and out. She embraced it.

Ino was aware that this was not a physical flame. Not that it couldn't hurt her despite that.

The flame burned her outside and in, the pain was beyond anything she'd ever felt and it was only through focussed Will that she was able to remain conscious - stumbling forward towards the center.

The center was always where you found the answers.

* * *

Hinata looked away, ashamed and embarassed, gradually though - she looked closer. Though 'look' was the wrong term perhaps. This was more feel/hear/see/taste. This was mind-to-mind and soul-to-soul.

She saw that Naruto liked her.  
She saw that Naruto thought she was cute.  
She saw that Naruto LIKED her. It might not be love, not yet, but it was a serious case of like.  
She saw that Naruto liked her as much as he liked ramen in fact.

...

He liked her as much as ramen?  
Oh my freaking gosh! He REALLY liked her.

In the real world, Hinata smiled a happy little smile and burrowed her head against Naruto's chest.

She was aware in the mindscape of a severely burned Ino Yamanaka stumbling out of the flame, her eyes ruined and her skin blackened. She nudged Naruto and they welcomed her into a threeway embrace. Healing poured between the three, reversing the damage. Ino collapsed as the pain faded and vanished, unable to go on any further at that point.

In the real world, Ino sagged into a deeper sleep, going completely limp up against Naruto.

* * *

In an apartment in Konohagakure, three people lay on a single bed. Three people lying in close proximity. They lay atop the covers, wearing their clothes. Well, mostly. Naruto had stripped down to shorts and tank-top. Hinata's jacket lay discarded to the side. Sandals had been removed and lay by the door. Other than that, they were clothed.

The door slammed open. "NARUTO! I'VE BEEN KNOCKING FOR FIVE MINUTES!" Sakura stalked into the darkened room. "Kiba packed everyone's clothes in a mess and..." Eyes adjusted slightly to the gloom from the bright lights outside the apartment, making out shapes on the bed. "Wha?"

Sakura blinked, letting her eyes adjust a bit more to the scene illuminated solely by the lights outside coming in from behind her to reveal the scene. Hinata mumbled something indistinct and burrowed her head onto Naruto's chest. Ino whimpered about something and moved to spoon Naruto from behind.

Sakura whipped out her ninja-pen-camera and took three photos of this because NO WAY she was going to let Ino go easily. Too perfect material to get Ino to back off of Sasuke and leave the field open for her.

That done, and tucking the camera securely away, Sakura stalked forward to unleash some righteous wrath upon the pervert in the middle.

_FWOOOM!_

* * *

The elder trio looked up from their table as there was ANOTHER explosion that blew out the open window at the back of Naruto's apartment, clearly visible as a gout of fire - this burst for some reason having gold and purple components. Oh, and a pink projectile.

"'Scuse me," said Choza Akimichi, standing up and moving to a point where he could use his Expansion Jutsu to catch the projectile.

Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka nodded at their companion as he shrank back down, now cradling a thoroughly unconscious kunoichi in his arms.

"Isn't that Sakura Haruno, your little girl's rival?" asked Shikaku.

"Yes, I do believe you're right," acknowledged Inoichi.

Choza thoughtfully arranged the girl at a nearby table, even providing a half-empty bottle of sake so that she could have something to drink when she woke up. That he was a little bit drunk himself was beside the point.

"Kunoichi nowadays are very competitive," said Shikaku seriously through his own slight buzz.

"So true," said Inoichi. "Daughters are the kami's revenge on the fathers."

"I'll take your word for it," said Shikaku.

"We ought to buy another round and stick around," mused Choza. "After all, someone else might get blown out that window."

Glasses clinked together as the other two endorsed this idea.

* * *

She was a fashionable ninja girl. Heir to her family's techniques. She liked Sasuke Uchiha. She was quite familiar with the language of flowers, the use of color, and arrangements of such things. She was also, partly due to her mother having her work in the flower shop frequently, familiar with business and the mathematics it employed.

She was also quite familiar with her own mind, it being something the Yamanaka family required for its techniques.

"Urphggkl," managed Ino as she felt the bed underneath her shift and the comforting heat source move away. It was followed a moment later by the feel of a wet washcloth being placed over her forehead and eyes.

"Ohggu," said a voice that she vaguely remembered.

Oh yes. Hinata. Hyuga clan but not nearly so stuffy and arrogant as the rest of the white-eyed-clan tended to be.

Ino lifted a finger slowly to move the washcloth off one eye in order to see what was going on, despite being sure she really didn't WANT to even move at this point.

She was looking at Hinata Hyuga, who was a few feet away and had a thin line of drool from one corner of her mouth. With her jacket off, the view of the Second Hyuga Bloodline was quite obvious. With a wet washcloth laying next to her head where it had likely fallen off when she'd rolled over.

She glanced at Naruto in his kitchen, various items floating in the air around him that he'd pluck with one hand to use on whatever he was doing.

A tentative sniff revealed the smell of green tea, one of the cheaper brands, being steeped.

Ino let her head sink back down onto the pillow as this was entirely too tiring and she felt as if she'd just been run over by Choji's meat tank.

* * *

Hinata didn't want to disturb Ino and so she staggered off the bed and headed towards the kitchen.

There she saw Naruto, which caused her to snap upright and blush. She remembered. The bird of flame. Naruto.

Naruto who didn't love her. Yet he did LIKE her. He really did. He considered her precious to him.

Hinata sank into a chair and smiled dreamily at the boy preparing tea and miso. Then she glanced at the clock and such considerations were put aside to adrenal reaction fueled by panic.

"Oh my gosh, it's that late?" squeaked Hinata.

"Technically, it's that early," said Naruto. "A few more minutes won't... can you get the door?"

"What?" asked Hinata, her Byakugan flicking itself on. "Oh dear."

"Uh oh," said Ino, going to groggy wakefulness. "Daddy's here."

* * *

Sakura woke up, blearily looked around, then found a waitress looking down at her. "Here's your bill."

"EH?" asked Sakura, glancing at the table and finding seven empty bottles of drink and one half-empty bottle of sake. "EH?"

"Your bill?" asked the waitress, handing off a slip of paper.

"WHAT?" squeaked Sakura Haruno, genin kunoichi, as she saw the bill for alcohol and snacks. How had this happened? Why had this happened? Naruto. "NARUTOOOOOOOOO!"

"Naruto? I haven't seen that little demon around here," said the waitress, scowling. "You have a connection to that monster?"

"When I catch him, he's dead!" said Sakura, clutching a fist and incidently crushing the bill.

"Promise?" asked the waitress. "Okay, you do it, and I'll write off this bill."

"Huh?" Sakura blinked and looked at the waitress. "Why do you want him dead?"

"Hokage's law, I can't talk about what that little monster really is," said the waitress. "Other than he killed my father."

"Uh right," said Sakura, unable to picture Naruto going around killing civilians. "I've got to go kill him right now. Be right back."

* * *

Ino sat very uncomfortably as her father rested one hand against her head briefly.

"I'll have to examine closer, this is very strange," said Inoichi.

"She's been influenced by him?" asked Choza, a little more sober now after a round of tea had been prepared.

Hinata had thrown herself into the tea-and-miso preparation, Naruto immediately giving ground before her. The apparently unrehearsed and unspoken coordination had been noted by all the jonin sober enough to not have their face down on the table. Which pretty much let out the Nara head.

"No, not in that way," said Inoichi. "She's still besotted with that Uchiha boy."

"Hey!" protested Ino.

"But there's something else," said Inoichi. "It looks like a minor mental link to both Hinata and Naruto. It'll break on its own, one of our clan techniques is very close to it - allowing for us to keep track of the physical location of other members of the clan. There's something else though. What happens if I push-"

Ino stiffened, her eyes wide. "Cryptography. Mathematics. The first part of the chunin test is a written test. The tenth question is the one that matters!"

"Eh?" asked Choza.

"That's interesting..." said Inoichi, his hand still resting on his daughter's head. "Might just be temporary though with that connection going. Your chakra levels are just barely enough to keep you going."

"The test is in..." Choza glanced at the clock. "Five hours. Enough time to get some rest."

Hiashi continued to look stern and merciless as Hinata nervously refilled his teacup.

"Uhm," began Naruto, subsiding when all the adults turned cold gazes at him.

"It's not like the Renegade," said Inoichi. "If Naruto HAD done it and deliberately, I would be able to find the signs."

"'Renegade'?" asked Ino.

"A renegade member of the Yamanaka clan, happened over forty years ago," said Inoichi. "Snapped during the war. Started capturing kunoichi of various forces, developed and used his techniques on them, and forcing them to become new members of his harem. Then fled the villages and left the War to settle far away somewhere. Never did find him."

"Probably killed long ago," said Choza.

"'Harem'?" asked Ino, pointing to Naruto and Hinata. "You think. Ewww."

Hinata's head jerked up, she looked at Ino then Naruto, then turned an almost incandescent red. "eep."

"No freaking way," griped Naruto. "Don't we got enough problems with the chunin exams in five hours?"

"Dramatic entry," said Ino abruptly.

_CRASH!_ went Naruto's door off the hinges.

"NARUTO! WHAT DO -" Sakura came stomping in, looking quite wrathful for the first three steps before she began to notice details "-you think you're -" Sakura came to a physical halt, her fist lowering slightly as she looked over the assembled clan heads. "-doing?"

"Preparing for the chunin exams?" tried Naruto.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka walked into the room without her usual energy, without her usual pep or enthusiasm. Then slumped down as if completely exhausted.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and glanced at Choji. Choji shrugged eloquently.

"Ino?" asked Asuma, used to Ino being earlier than this.

"Something happened last night, my chakra reserves are almost gone," said Ino, holding up a thermos of tea.

"I heard about something," said Asuma.

"I spent the evening in some intense training with Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga," said Ino. "Anything else you may have heard didn't happen."

"'Training'?" asked Shikamaru.

Ino slowly brought herself up from her slumped position. "Okay. Basics. My great grandmother on my father's side had a special gift, brief images of What May Be. Potential futures, if you prefer. Uncontrolled flashes. According to the records Dad got - it usually involves intense emotion experienced by my future self. Training with Naruto unlocked it."

"Oh?" said Shikamaru, working out potential plans for such a thing.

"First part of the exam is a written test," began Ino.

* * *

"-and the tenth question is the most important one," said Hinata in her quiet voice to her team, her jonin-sensei looking at her in concern.

"Hinata, are you okay to take this test? You look exhausted," said Kiba, worry evident in his tone.

Hinata nodded once. "Unless we run into a rule that specifically forbids it, we'll be coordinating with Team 10 and Team 7 for the first two parts of the test. Kurenai-sensei, do you have to report any of this?"

"No, any intel gathering you acquire - by whatever means, is simply further indication of your qualifications as a ninja. Any report I have to make regarding that would be after the tests in question have taken place," easily answered Kurenai.

"The third part of the test, individual combat," put in Shino, "is public record."

"That leaves the written test and the survival portion - that is - the second test as concealed prior to being given," said Hinata with a nod and a grateful smile.

"Oh yeah, Naruto has that 'talk without using your voice' jutsu," said Kiba. "He used that one on sorting day. He got it working?"

"Yes, he's been getting help from the Yamanaka clan since it borders some of their own abilities," said Shino, revealing that he DID excel at information gathering.

"Then the only problem is that if one of the teams chooses not to cooperate with the plan," said Hinata, not seeing any objection to the idea of Konoha ninja cooperating with each other among her own team.

* * *

"-and I told them Sasuke doesn't need any help passing tests, but that we'd understand if they needed help," said Sakura. "Right, Sasuke?"

"While I have a problem with you assisting other teams and not your own," said Kakashi from where he was apparently engrossed in his little orange book, "it is also true that seizing any advantage you can get and using it IS part of being a ninja."

"True," acknowledged Naruto. "Though just for the record, Ino's father mentioned at least twelve times that it could have resulted in some very very bad results if it had gone wrong."

"How bad?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura answered, having been able to sit in the background during the planning of plans and examinations done. "It could have burned out their minds or ability to use jutsu. It could have destroyed the walls between their minds - turning them into one mind shared among three bodies. It could have killed them. One of them could have ended up with their mind double occupying a body. They could have all ended up switched to one of the other's bodies."

"He said we might have one of those happen temporarily as the connection between us starts degrading," put in Naruto. "Just in case that happens sometime in the next week and suddenly Hinata or Ino shows up in my body."

"I didn't understand that part," admitted Sakura. "What connection?"

"When Ino used her technique, she set things up so that she ended up in my mind. So did Hinata. At least that's what we think happened, I guess," said Naruto.

"You guess?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto shrugged. "That's the problem with new jutsu, ain't it? Anyway, there's a connection between the three of us that'll eventually break apart. It's apparently similar to a Yamanaka technique. "

"Oh, and Sakura?" asked Kakashi, as if just remembering something. "As soon as the chunin exams are over, the Hokage wants to speak to you."

"Oh?" asked Sakura, looking puzzled.

"It would have been now, but that would punish both Sasuke and Naruto by pulling the team out of the exam," said Kakashi, still apparently engrossed in his book.

"Errrr," said Sakura, now beginning to look worried.

"Any idea why?" asked Sasuke, curious now. What could SAKURA have done that might get the entire team (including himself) taken out of the exams even as a consideration?

"Yes, something about starting a rumor about Hinata and Sasuke by throwing a genjutsu on an Academy student," said Kakashi, turning a page as he read.

"Uhm," said Sakura, feeling a heated stare from two fellow team members at that.

"But I think the main thing was you accepting an assassination contract on one of your team-mates," said Kakashi.

Sakura tried to ignore the now-measuring-in-megawatts stares being directed at her. "M-m-me? Y-you mean that waitress thing? That was a figure of speech!"

Kakashi looked up from his book, his single visible eye managing to convey a total lack of impressed. "If those who abandon their comrades are less than trash, where does that put those who casually contemplate killing their comrades for the price of a bar tab?"

* * *

"So, how is this game played?" asked Gaara, tapping the ball around with one foot.

"You've never played this before?" asked Konohamaru.

Gaara shook his head once silently.

"Aw, come on, we'll show you, right guys?" said Konohamaru to his two friends.

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" asked Temari as she noted how Kankuro was shaking.

"G-G-Gaara," said Kankuro.

"Well, yes, he can be pretty scary," said Temari. "I thought he was calmed down though."

"He IS," said Kankuro. "He... he's playing ball. With some kids. One of whom is apparently the grandkid of the current Hokage!"

"Oh?" asked Temari.

"At any moment he's going to snap and the plan will go up in flames!" said Kankuro. "He'll kill EVERYONE!"

"So let Baki know," said Temari. "I'll just go keep an eye on him and make sure he gets to the center on time. He's never been late or missed a mission."


	12. Chapter 12: Chunin Test 1

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 12: Test 1

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

_July 1, morning:_

The Third Hokage let out a breath as he looked over the rooftops of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kakashi's report on the Wave Mission still troubled him in several respects. While many details were over and done with, there were things that couldn't be ignored.

A kunoichi whose forehead protector had the question mark of the Village Hidden In Mystery. A troubling rumor that apparently had some truth to it. A new Hidden Village of unknown location and unknown goals - something that had been hinted at over the past two years. Now there was some confirmation of its existence, though it would have been nice to get something other than seeing one individual with a headband.

There was a name too. 'Ehma The Mind Bender' according to Zabuza who had recognized her from his own Bingo Book.

Then there were those girls rescued from Gato's slavepens who hadn't had anywhere to go and ended up following the ninja back here from Wave. As they ranged in age from six to twenty-four, and some were emotionally fragile - getting them settled in was difficult and had taken some chunin away from preparations for the Chunin Exam.

That some of those rescued girls were of ninja heritage was duly noted and they'd be tested for team placement eventually. Right now, the Chunin Exams being held in Leaf meant that a lot of personnel had to be committed to that specifically.

Haku, former apprentice of Zabuza Momochi. Already a trained ninja, already cleared by Ibiki. Assigned to the Chunin Exams as a probationary proctor, working with Izumo and Kotetsu.

Oh, and if she survived, there was that talk he had to have with Sakura Haruno. Maybe he could delegate that one though. Ibiki would do well in that regard.

So many details to keep track of.

* * *

Shikamaru Nara let out a deep sigh. This... would be troublesome. He didn't really want to test for chunin. Extra work, extra responsibility, the pay was better but not by that much really. One also had a much higher statistic chance of being assigned missions in which there were much more likely odds of having unpleasant outcomes. Unpleasant outcomes being things like having sharp pointy objects thrust into your body, dismemberment, death, things like that which could really cut into your free time.

"Yo," said Kiba Inuzuka from Team 8 as he walked up. "Early, huh?"

"Choji's over there," said Shikamaru, a slight movement of his head to indicate a convenience store. "He wanted to stock up prior to going in."

"So the plan's on? You think it's accurate?" asked Kiba.

"Wait and see," suggested Shikamaru. "There's a problem with predictions of the future though. If she's accurate and we act on it - then people will react to what we're doing and it invalidates everything from there on out. Like a game of shogi where the opponent changes their plans after you move."

Kiba grunted at that. "So cooperate until the individual combat portion?"

"That's not against the rules," pointed out Shikamaru.

Shino moved from behind a tree. "Unless we are obvious about it - then a proctor might go ahead and add such a rule. By allying instead of competing, we gain a numerical advantage over other teams. Some of those have greater experience and in some cases raw power, so any advantage we can seize increase our chances of survival."

"I got it, I just want to show off my strengths," complained Kiba.

"The individual combat portion would be ideal for such," said Shino, holding up a hand with an insect crawling along one finger. "I myself understand the concept of smaller forces gathering together to overcome larger obstacles."

"Yeah, figured you would," said Kiba with an affirmative-sounding bark from Akamaru.

"Where's Team 7?" asked Kiba.

"Sakura Haruno is a half-block away to the East," said Shino. "Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki are also to the East along with Hinata Hyuga."

"Uh oh, those two aren't fighting over her, are they?" asked Kiba. THAT could throw the whole teamwork-angle into an uproar. Nothing upset pack dynamics so quickly as that sort of thing.

"How do you know where they are?" asked Shikamaru, curious.

Shino considered him briefly, then nodded. "It would be advantageous to our working together if each of us was more familiar with the skills of each individual, would it not?"

Shikamaru made a gesture as Choji left the store to join them, making an odd comment about tasty-looking dogs that caused Akamaru to snarl at him.

Shikamaru sighed again. The teamwork angle would be troublesome, but perhaps less troublesome than going at it alone.

* * *

"-so it's cleared up?" asked Sasuke.

Hinata blushed, looked down, edged a little closer to Naruto, then her hand just slowly crept out and took Naruto's almost as if by itself.

"Uhm, I guess, I still don't understand what went on," said Naruto. "But apparently Hinata hadn't decided she was going to be one of your fangirls after all."

"Good," summed up Sasuke.

"It's going to be difficult to use my Yamanaka-style techniques with you and Sakura though," said Naruto. "Sakura's got some weird mental defense, like there's another one of her inside that's always ready to fight me. And you've got... something else."

"That's fine, I don't particularly want anyone poking around in my head anyway," said Sasuke. He thought about it for awhile as the three of them started to walk towards their meeting spot in front of the test building. "What 'something else'?"

"I don't know how to interpret it," admitted Naruto. "It's like it's all twisted up and has thorns and weird looking red eyes."

Sasuke came to an abrupt halt, turning on his Sharingan. "Like these?"

"No," said Naruto. "The pupil looks really weird, it's not just red with the tomoe."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, then led him to a patch of dirt. "Show me."

Naruto shrugged and sketched out something in the dirt.

"Red eyes with this pattern, something twisted in my head," muttered Sasuke. "We're less than an hour before the exam starts. Afterwards though, I want details."

"This is regarding... him, isn't it?" asked Hinata hesitantly.

"What do you know about That Man?" asked Sasuke.

"The Massacre, anyone who wants to can get some details about that," said Hinata. "I... know you don't want to talk about it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and regarded her, then looked Naruto in the eye. "Naruto? Don't ever let her go or make her leave you. She's a rare one."

"Don't I know it," said Naruto, letting go of Hinata's hand to place that arm across her shoulders.

Hinata blushed again, ducked her head, but moved into the casual embrace with a smile that Sasuke could barely see from the angle involved.

"So, we ready to kick butt?" asked Naruto, letting Hinata go.

"Hnn," said Sasuke, nodding once and smirking lightly. Not that he missed the brief flash of disappointment on Hinata's face.

Then Naruto took her hand again and she flashed a smile that even made him, Sasuke Uchiha the vengeance-haunted ninja, realize that she had some cuteness involved.

* * *

Sakura saw all three together and a dozen questions wanted to force themselves out all at once.

One of which was what had happened to Naruto anyway? He was the pathetic loser, the idiot, the brat always trying to prove himself and ending up proving he was just a loser. Except that after graduation he'd been getting better and then in Wave... he'd gotten awesome.

Now here he was, holding hands with Hinata Hyuga (who had a smile on her face and looked so content Sakura couldn't help but experience a pang of envy), having managed to turn from 'dead last loser' to 'ninja of mass destruction' and SLEPT with Ino and Hinata. And had both of them not only not fighting but developing a friendship?

Hinata and Ino had both looked sleepy, disoriented, and still looked tired. Also, Ino had developed a new jutsu.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

It was better to concern herself with that than to continue to worry about her meeting with the Hokage later. Oh yes, much better to focus on the Hyuga.

* * *

"Yo," said Kiba as the late arrivals showed up. Hinata, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke from one direction. Ino a half-minute behind and yawning.

"Sasuke," said Ino, perking up a bit. "I... oh ah."

Kiba blinked and straightened in surprise, aware on some level of others reacting similarly. Naruto though, Naruto was the one who had crossed next to Ino and was holding her up.

"What did you See?" asked Naruto, putting special emphasis on the last word.

"I don't know," said Ino. "It was all jumbled up. Snakes, some small, some large. Hidden in a forest. Some bare fangs dripping with poison, one seeks to eat the heart of -"

Sasuke blinked as Ino stared at him. "I'm really hoping this turns out to be just something you ate."

"The future is not yet written," advised Shino. "Even as vague as this warning is, it is still a warning - and therefore something that can be acted on."

"Getting positively chatty, ain't you?" asked Kiba.

"The excitement of the exams must be getting to me," answered Shino. "My apologies."

"Eh, it's okay, I actually like that, I don't have to carry all the conversations myself," said Kiba.

* * *

Gaara looked at the popsicle stick in awe, then over at Konohamaru. "This truly indicates that I get a second one for free?"

"Yup!" exclaimed Konohamaru.

Gaara stepped up to the counter, seeing the person examine the stick and then hand him another popsicle. He waited for a moment, but nothing further came of it. When he and Konohamaru left the shop, Gaara looked around him. "I think... I like this village."

"Yeah. Oh heck! Look at the time, you've got to get to that exam rightaway," said Konohamaru.

"Yes, I shall," said Gaara, who then seemed to think for a moment. "Thank you, Konohamaru. That was... fun."

"See ya around, Gaara-kun!" said Konohamaru, giving a thumb's up and scampering off.

Gaara watched his friend running off, and pondered that impossible concept for a moment. Then turned to walk to the exam center. He still had time to finish the popsicle though.

* * *

The teams immediately split up. Team 8 entering first. Team 10 entering second. Team 7 entering last.

The idea was to cooperate but not be obvious about it.

"We don't really need the other teams, but we need to act like we don't even know them," said Sakura as they entered. "We don't know anyone."

Naruto kept his voice low. "I'm getting jumbled stuff from Ino and Hinata. Something up ahead not right."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto yawning. "You up for this?"

"Yeah," said Naruto eventually. "Huh. That must be it."

* * *

The boy skidded across the floor.

"So this is the level of skill you're bringing? Pfeh. Maybe it'd be best if you runts quit," said one of the genin in front of the door.

"You're just green brats, after all," said the other genin guarding the door.

"Please let us through," said a girl who knelt next to her team-mate. She got up and approached, clearly trying to be reasonable. "We're supposed to be taking the exam."

One of the guards simply backhanded her once she was in reach.

"Bit mean, in'nt?" asked someone whose headband had an onsen mark on it.

"What was that?" asked the second of the two guards. "Listen, we're being nice to you. The Chunin Exam is a high hurdle."

"Yeah," said the first guard, "many times have we seen people quit being shinobi or get disabled for life in the Exams."

"Chunin are the level of a unit leader," said the second guard. "Mission failures, deaths of subordinates, it's all part of the responsibilities of a chunin."

"A brat like this, chunin?" continued the second guard, pointing at the girl.

"What's so bad about weeding out those who won't pass anyway?" said the first.

"Fair argument," said Sasuke. "But you will let me through. Oh, and could you undo the barrier with the genjutsu? I have business on the third floor."

"Well well," said the second.

"So you noticed?" asked the first. "Well, maybe we won't-"

Naruto held up a hand, cupping a ball of golden fire. After all, he recognized the two from Team Gai due to the cross-training he and Sasuke had done while waiting for Kakashi to get out of the hospital. He wasn't supposed to know them, but there WAS a way available to him to clear the obstacles.

"That won't be necessary, Naruto," said Sasuke, managing to sound gently chiding. "How about you Sakura? With your genjutsu knowledge and analytical skills, you probably had it all figured out first."

"Ah, yeah, right, of course," said Sakura. "This is only the second floor."

"Well, not bad, but all you've done is to catch on," said the second guard. "Let's see you deal with THIS!"

The guard moved forward in a taijutsu attack. Sasuke responded. Someone else interposed themselves and stopped both attacks.

Sakura blinked, thinking the guy who'd been punched to the ground moved completely differently in a fight. While she'd seen Rock Lee before, she hadn't seen him fight yet.

"Hey, what's with the change of plans?" asked someone else. "Wasn't your plan to not carelessly attract attention and avoid being watched?"

"Well, I don't think," said one of the guards.

Naruto dismissed the fireball he'd been holding in a hand. "Come on, Sasuke, Sakura. We can find a way up without going through these chunin."

"Chunin?" asked one of the others in the crowd.

The boy who'd been hit earlier walked up to Sakura. "My name is Rock Lee. Your name's Sakura, is it not?"

"Huh?" asked Sakura. They'd met so why - oh yeah. They must be pretending not to know them too. Well, that worked out. But why was he breaking cover to talk to her?

"Please go out with me, I'll protect you until I die!" said Rock Lee, smiling and giving a thumb's up.

"Absolutely not," was Sakura's immediate response.

"Hnnn?" asked Sasuke of Naruto.

"Yeah, he's practically radiating sincerity," confirmed Naruto.

"Hnnn," hnnned Sasuke thoughtfully.

"Shot down so quickly," said Rock.

"Hah," said Naruto, feeling immediate sympathy for the guy. "You're lucky. She's usually a lot more violent and harsh rejecting guys."

"I'm pretty sure you're the only guy she gets violent with turning down," noted Sasuke out loud.

"Hey you," said some guy with long hair, the one who'd complained about changing plans. "Identify yourself."

"Who me?" asked Naruto.

"No, not the blonde loser," said the newcomer.

"When asking someone his name, give your own name first," said Sasuke, noting that Neji hadn't really interacted that much with them previously. Nor had the older boy paid much attention to any of them in the few times he'd been around. "Isn't that common courtesy?"

"You're a rookie, right? How old are you?" asked the newcomer, ignoring the etiquette lesson.

"I don't see why I should answer," replied Sasuke. Privately though, he was thinking that maybe Neji DIDN'T remember him. That the previous time they'd sparred - Sasuke had just come out of the hospital. Oh yeah, he was hoping for a little rematch.

"What?" said the clearly displeased newcomer.

"That's it, let's go," said Naruto, turning and leading his team down the hall. "By the way, Sasuke. Watch out. That one gal was thinking about how cute you were. If you aren't careful, you might end up with another fangirl."

"I appreciate you looking out for me," said Sasuke, acknowledging the head's up with a smirk and slight dip of his head.

* * *

Neji glared at the trio walking away.

"That must be the Yamanaka Prodigy I heard about," said one of the applicants from the Village Hidden In The Hot Springs.

"Yeah, did you see that fire technique? No hand seals," said his neighbor.

Neji's eyes flicking towards the speakers was his only indication that he heard the two.

As the two began walking towards the exam room, Tenten noted the absence of Rock Lee, but was also torn towards warning her team-mate. "You know Sasuke Uchiha. You sparred with him, remember?"

"He was so pathetic that I barely remember," said Neji. "They know us. We know them. These others don't know, and keeping them guessing is an advantage we can use later."

* * *

Naruto didn't feel he had anything to prove, was feeling tired and achy, and didn't get involved.

Rock Lee challenged Sasuke. Sasuke declined. The both of them still playing up as if they didn't know each other.

Rock Lee tried another challenge, worded slightly different, and was merely disappointed when the three walked off without apparently any remark at all.

In truth, Rock Lee was disappointed as Sasuke hadn't been in his top form the last time they'd sparred. Measuring himself against a "natural genius" was something important to him.

Still, he understood. Keeping the out-of-town teams off balance was important and you never knew when one would be nearby using a spy-jutsu.

* * *

The Hokage looked down at the paperwork. "I thought he'd stopped this."

"Apparently recent events have caused him to renew his efforts," said the chunin. "He dropped this off this morning."

"Another attempt to transfer Sakura Haruno off Team 7 and replace her with..." The Hokage's voice trailed off as he looked at the name on this application. "He must REALLY be annoyed."

"Considering current events, I think that's quite understandable," said the chunin. "Considering the notes from the Academy - she's quite a fangirl of the Last Uchiha. Most likely she accepted the assassination mission in order to get time alone with her would-be paramour. I hope that she gets a full psych review soon."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at where the name 'Konohamaru Sarutobi' had been pencilled in. "Yes, I'd say so."

* * *

"You're filling out another one?" asked Naruto as Sasuke started scribbling something out on the wall.

"You said Hinata's got a little sister?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, 'Hanabi' - why?" asked Naruto.

"If Sakura does anything to further jeapordize our chances," said Sasuke, tucking the transfer request into a pocket.

"Ah, gotcha," said Naruto, accepting that.

"Come on, you guys, what's the hold up?" asked Sakura from the door.

Naruto and Sasuke followed her into the exam room, and Sasuke noted the way Naruto staggered and half-reached a hand towards his head.

Sasuke frowned as he looked over the crowd. Yup. Lots of hostility there. Yamanaka special techniques not necessary at all for that determination.

"Man, I had no idea there'd be so many, and so much competition," said Sakura a little nervously.

"Sasuke! I haven't seen you in so long!" called out a familiar voice.

Almost everyone expected Ino to launch herself onto Sasuke because she had done so in the Academy. She almost did, then turned and shuddered for a moment before shaking herself to latch onto an arm.

"I was waiting in excitement, hoping you'd show up here," said Ino.

"Get away from Sasuke, Ino-Pig!" declared Sakura, her previous nervousness gone as she pointed at the offending girl. "Back off, he's mine!"

"I'm not either of yours," said Sasuke, though he was ignored by everyone.

"Still an ugly Billboard Brow, eh Sakura?" asked Ino.

"Leave my forehead out of it!" said Sakura, raising her voice another notch.

Ino gave Sakura the redeye, pulling one eyelid down while sticking her tongue out. Sakura responded by extending one finger.

"What's up with this?" interrupted Shikamaru. "Are you going to take this bothersome Exam too? Such a hassle."

"So, the idiot trio is here," said Naruto, rubbing one temple as if he had a headache coming on.

"Well, well, whattaya know," said Kiba, walking up with his team. "Just follow the loudest noise and there's the loser brigade."

"Hi, Naruto," said Hinata, smiling and looking at him, blushing and ducking her head. _Must pretend I hardly know him. Not that I want to grab him and snuggle up against him and..._

Ino glanced at Hinata. _Do you mind NOT sending all that. We're still linked you know._

Naruto forgot all about the hostile crowd to stare at Hinata.

"Yeah, here we all are 'the Rookie Nine'," said Kiba. "This is gonna be good. At least for those of us good enough to make the cut, right Sasuke?"

"Kiba," said Sasuke, almost lazily. "You're fairly confident."

"Hey, we been training like crazy. We're gonna blow you guys away," boasted Kiba.

Sasuke shook his head once, realizing Naruto was still staring at Hinata. Hinata was still looking pleased with a side order of bashful. "Well, maybe Naruto's been slacking. But my team is ready."

"Hey you guys, you should be a little quieter," said some guy with silver hair and glasses.

"S-S-snake!" squeaked Ino.

"What?" asked the guy in question.

"Oh, nothing," said Sasuke, shaking his arm free of Ino while she was distracted.

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes "She's into astrology based on the Chinese Zodiac."

"R-right," said Ino. "Plus a big breakfast."

"Right," said the guy, a little off his preplanned introduction. Finally he just went ahead with it. "You should be a little quieter. You're the nine rookies fresh out of the Academy. You attending already has some bad feelings coming up."

A set of glances towards the crowd and frowns on various faces to indicate that they were noting it now.

"Who are you, acting all haughty?" asked Sakura.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Anyway, take a look around you. You've made quite an impression, and not a favorable one. See those guys, they're from the Rain Village - very touchy. They ALL are. You don't need to make the situation more tense than it is."

"Hmph," said Shikamaru, looking over the crowd. "Mist, Grass, Sand, Sound, Waterfall, Hot Springs, Snow. Quite a selection."

"You kind of remind me of when I was that young and stupid," said Kabuto.

"This your second time then?" asked Sakura, stepping forward.

"No, more like my seventh," said Kabuto.

"Wow, you must suck," said Kiba.

Kabuto frowned slightly at that, but then just went on as if nothing had been said. "Exams are twice a year, and this is my fourth year."

"You must be really experienced and know what to expect then," said Sakura.

"Well, maybe I can help you out with my Ninja Info Cards," admitted Kabuto.

"'Ninja Info Cards'?" asked Sakura, curious.

"'Ninja Info Cards'?" asked Shikamaru skeptically.

"'Ninja Info Cards'?" asked Choji around a mouthful of chips.

"'Ninja Info Cards'?" muttered a Grass-nin who'd been listening.

"These cards," said Kabuto, fanning a deck out. "Special seals and encoded with chakra. Everything I've learned in the past four years."

"So the info is four years out of date?" asked Shikamaru, sounding troubled.

"No, I update the data periodically," admitted Kabuto, charging the first card. "See, this is the number of test-takers and the participating nations in this exam. Why do you think these nations are all participating in the same test?"

"To see what their potential opponents might have," said Sasuke.

"Well, actually, it's supposed to foster friendship," said Kabuto.

"By getting into literally cut-throat competition with each other," said Shikamaru, settling into a slouch against the wall. "Yeah, I can see how that would work."

"Do those cards of yours have information on individual candidates?" asked Sasuke.

"You have someone special in mind?" asked Kabuto.

_Did anyone else feel that spike of... anticipation? Hostility?_ sent Naruto.

_That guy is a snake, one of those I saw in that vision,_ sent Ino. _Whatever he says, there's an ulterior motive and it is NOT to help us._

"Maybe," said Sasuke, not part of the Naruto-Hinata-Ino link and therefore just responding to Kabuto.

"Well, I do keep tabs on everything I can, including you guys," said Kabuto.

Sasuke didn't glance towards Ino, that would be too obvious, but he knew from the earlier slip that this guy wasn't trustworthy. Go figure, he was a ninja and a rival in this test. Still, the info might be worthwhile. "What about Naruto Uzumaki?"

_fifteen minutes previously:_  
"Gaara? You're... eating. A popsicle."

Gaara interrupted his eating to stick a purple tongue out. "Pomegranate-grape."

"Uhm, are... you ready for the test?" asked Kankuro, still trying to fit Gaara apparently enjoying the last of his popsicle.

Gaara nodded, then cocked his head. "Mother's recovering."

"Oh, th-that's nice," said Kankuro.

"She still wants the blood of some blonde girl," said Gaara as if stating the sky was blue. As if it were of no particular interest to him.

"Okay," said Kankuro, thinking THAT sounded normal at least.

"Temari?" asked Gaara.

"She was here earlier, she went ahead," said Kankuro nervously. Especially as his sister WAS blonde and a girl.

"Let's go then," said Gaara simply as he turned and walked in.

* * *

"_Now:_"  
"Odd choice, checking on your own team-member?" asked Kabuto, nonetheless pulling a card out.

"How better than to check your accuracy?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense," acknowledged Kabuto, not missing the interest from some of the other rookies.

The card shifted as he twirled it around, data appearing on it.

"Naruto Uzumaki, the Yamanaka prodigy, having an unknown familial connection to the Yamanaka family," read off Kabuto. "He's weak on just about everything except apparently some skill with Yamanaka techniques?"

"Yeah, that's about accurate," said Sasuke.

"Low intelligence, average strength and speed, terrible skill at hand-seals," continued Kabuto, who had expected the mumbled protests from the boy in question. That a couple of smirks had appeared indicated something other than just wounded pride? "Terrible control over his fire jutsu. It shows that your team just completed a B-Rank mission."

Sasuke smirked as he glanced towards Sakura Haruno. "So... anyone particularly interesting in those cards?"

* * *

Shikamaru Nara thought the whole thing was a colossal pain.

Ibiki Morino was giving very little away in his body language, and Shikamaru suspected he was also warded against various Yamanaka techniques.

Very very troublesome.

The rules being explained caused a momentary stir among the various genin assembled. _Waitaminute? Why - oh. They want us to cheat, just cheat in such a way it isn't easily caught. That and the tenth question being mentioned indicates that Ino was right on the money. VERY troublesome._

The test began and Shikamaru flipped it over, increasing his frown as he looked over the test.

_Shikamaru?_

Shikamaru forced himself NOT to look at Naruto. _Yeah._

_We're linked. I'm going to take the linkage down for about fifteen minutes, then hook everyone back up when Hinata's had a chance to copy answers._

_Sounds like a plan,_ reluctantly agreed Shikamaru.

The presence went away, and Shikamaru let his eyes flick to Naruto now. He also noticed Choji jumping in his chair, indicating that Naruto was "talking" to him now.

Shikamaru went over the apparently random seating, knowing it was anything but. No member of any team was sitting next to anyone of the same team. The numbers were mainly of genin he didn't know from Konoha. Some of whom looked awfully old to be genin. Unless they were like that Kabuto person and failed this test a few times.

_Okay, one of the 'genin' isn't - and has been filling out the answers. I pointed him out to Hinata._

Shikamaru flicked his eyes to where Hinata was hunched over her test, and Naruto was just leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head - the very picture of relaxed.

_I'm hooking everyone in at once,_ sent Naruto. _Okay. Mental note. Don't do that again. Ouch. Like eating ice cream too fast. I'm just linking Shikamaru and Choji and Ino now. And here's to Hinata. Just focus on your paper Hinata._

Shikamaru concealed a smirk as the image appeared in his head. From 'too hard for words' to 'too easy' - this was going to be an interesting exam.

* * *

It was going EXACTLY like Ino had predicted, at least from what he'd gotten from Naruto and the others earlier.

Now that he knew that the tenth question was the only one really important, and that he had to stay in no matter what - the amount of stress he could have felt about this was minimal.

Sasuke could admit that most of these questions were beyond him. A ninja simply DID things. A ninja did not work out the math before throwing a shuriken. Any hypothetical ninja which did so would most certainly NOT show their work.

Some of the questions he wasn't even sure what the problem was to actually address. Cryptography had never been his strong suit, for example - and so working out this particular cypher was not something he could count on.

Someone ELSE did though. And he could use his Sharingan to copy the arm movements necessary for that genin to write it all down.

So - score one for Ino. Strange, she'd been a hopeless fangirl before. He wouldn't have expected her to have nearly so useful a talent hidden in her family tree. Of course, he'd caught the term 'uncontrolled' - so it wasn't foolproof or completely reliable. Still, if she could tone it down some - as she had in their prior meeting - he might actually have to tolerate her presence more than he otherwise would have. You could never tell when something like that might come in handy.

Sasuke let his eyes flick to the one called Kabuto. Ino had said something about 'snakes hiding in the forest' and one coming after him. And Kabuto, who had volunteered such useful information earlier, had been identified as a 'snake' for whatever reason.

Sasuke thought that keeping an eye on Kabuto and treating anything from the genin as being poisoned was most likely the prudent thing to do.

* * *

Kiba smirked as Hinata's vision was transferred to him via Naruto. Guy had those Yamanaka tricks working real well.

He'd wondered what the Byakugan actually saw, but as she was mainly focussed on her test paper - he wasn't getting the full effect. Kiba felt Akamaru coming into the link and exchanged a quick greeting with his usual partner.

Copying the answers down, he felt Naruto cut the connection a moment later.

Kiba glanced at Naruto's back from where the blonde genin was sitting next to Hinata. If he faced Naruto in the individual combat portion, he'd have to be on the lookout for genjutsu and genjutsu-like effects. He'd also have to try not to permanently injure the guy, as apparently he was getting along pretty well with Hinata.

How troublesome.

* * *

Ibiki Morino immediately noted the feather-touch of someone using a Yamanaka technique to try and "read" him. His eyes flicked to the girl who WAS a Yamanaka first. He brought his own shields up with extra force. She didn't flinch or otherwise react.

On the other hand, a boy a couple of rows forward DID suddenly flinch.

Ibiki brought his full gaze on the boy and smiled a cruel mocking smile at the kid. Not that it was cheating, there had only been the lightest probe - probably just trying to get a feel of his shields. Which was a pity - he had a full nightmare projection technique for dealing with someone who'd tried a deeper probe.

"That's one," said Ibiki, making a mark. That would count as cheat-attempt caught, though admittedly it would have passed unnoticed by most jonin much less chunin or lower. The boy grimaced, apparently acknowledging.

Naruto Uzumaki, eh? He'd bear watching.

Now to slowly turn up the 'aura of menace' - making the little genin even more flustered and prone to make mistakes. Undermining their confidence. That and the loud ticking of the clock as a constant reminder of the way time was running out were just part of the whole effect.

* * *

Sakura waited for it as one team after another was ejected. She remained where she was, being the best kunoichi in her class when it came to taking tests like this!

Finally the Tenth Question came up. More attempts to discourage them. She almost put her hand up, but with Ino having been right so far - she managed to keep from going into panic.

Finally the harsh special jonin got to explaining the test, and how the last question had been a test of character and dedication.

She watched as the proctor for the NEXT text showed up and began talking about how half the students wouldn't survive the second test.

Which was pretty much also in keeping with what Ino had come up with. Sakura glanced over, meeting Sasuke's gaze from where her team-mate was seated. She glanced at Naruto next, but Naruto was busy talking to Hinata.


	13. Chapter 13: Chunin Test 2

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 13: Test 2

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

Kabuto went over the card that Sasuke had requested and puzzled over what was NOT on it.

Naruto Uzumaki. Yamanaka prodigy, though only trained a couple of days. Had some fire and wind affinity, but couldn't combine them so it wasn't a real kekkei genkai. Some minor blood talent though, probably like the fire affinity of the Uchiha clan - fire jutsu just came easier to them.

Kabuto's eyes flicked along the card. D-rank missions. The single B-rank. It seemed complete. Was there something he'd missed?

He put the card back, then got up with his team. That crazy psycho jonin, Anko Mitarashi, was giving the rules for the second part of the test. What a pity that he had to waste effort in seeming-politeness when most of these genin would die soon, but then he could make all sorts of use out of them whether they were alive OR dead.

* * *

"We're going to start out at different gates," muttered Sasuke as he waited for Sakura to go get their scroll and return.

"We'll be able to find them easy enough," said Naruto. "I'm connected to Ino and Hinata right now. Kiba got a Heaven scroll, Choji got an Earth scroll."

"Hnn," said Sasuke, then glanced at Naruto. "You still have trouble linking with me and Sakura?"

"Yeah, there's..." Naruto tried to figure out words for it all. "Your mind is like a forest shrine, except there's brambles and thorns forming rings around it and there's stuff that doesn't look right inside too. I can look for you and find you, but I can't reach you - at least not easy. Sakura's got this little Sakura running around in her head who keeps trying to beat me up if I go anywhere near her."

"With weird red eyes in my 'shrine'?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, some of the paths in there are choked off with that," said Naruto. "Any idea what it means?"

"Suspicions," said Sasuke. "Don't talk about this with anyone else. But after the exams - yeah. I want to find out what that means."

"Here she comes," said Naruto.

* * *

"Naruto's team has an Earth scroll," whispered Hinata, knowing that Kiba's hearing could easily pick it up at this range. As she was walking alongside Shino, there was no worry about that.

"We need one Heaven and one Earth to pass," said Kiba, holding up a hand when Hinata looked as if she were going to protest. "Hey, all I'm saying if something happens where either our team or their team can't continue - that team should just hand over their scroll so one of us gets through."

Shino nodded to indicate his agreement with that concept.

"So you can communicate with Naruto?" asked Kiba. "What about that Yamanaka gal?"

"Yes, if I concentrate on her or Naruto, I know where they are and we can talk," said Hinata. "It's not as easy for me as for them though."

"Logical," said Shino as he looked around as they followed the proctor. "Naruto appears to have natural talent in that regard, whereas Ino Yamanaka has been trained for years in associated techniques. They therefore have a headstart in such matters."

"Shh, there's a buncha them Grass Ninja at the gate up ahead," said Kiba. "Not sure how good their hearing is, but we don't want to give away any advantages."

* * *

Gaara took out a box, looked at it, then put it away again.

"What's that?" asked Kankuro, thinking it was explosive tags or something.

"Lunch," said Gaara.

"You packed a lunch?" asked Temari, surprised. It would be more expected that they'd raid the lunches off any corpses they happened to make.

"Konohamaru's friend Moegi made me a box lunch," said Gaara, reporting it as if it were completely unremarkable.

"A girl?" asked Kankuro, coming to a halt and staring. "A girl? A girl made you a lunch?"

"Is there something wrong with my accepting a lunch from a girl?" asked Gaara, slowly coming to focus on his brother.

"No! Nothing at all!" exclaimed Kankuro, throwing his hands up.

"Good," said Gaara, turning back and heading for the now-visible gate.

"Gaara... is making friends... with girls?" asked Kankuro, twitching and looking as if he'd just seen evidence that the world was about to be invaded by aliens from a planet of vanilla custard.

"This could screw with the Plan," said Temari. "But what do we do?"

* * *

The bell rang. Teams leapt through the gates, then split off to distance themselves from the other teams.

Shikamaru led them slightly in, then up. After about five minutes, they stopped.

"Team 8 is that way, Team 7 is that way," said Ino, pointing in slightly different directions.

"Where to meet up?" asked Shikamaru.

Ino listened to something neither of the others could hear. "Hinata is scouting using her Byakugan. She's located three potential sites... she's got really good range with that technique."

"Hmph," said Shikamaru. "Can she use that technique to determine what kind of scroll enemies might have?"

"Yes, but she cautions that the technique not only requires a lot of chakra, but that it's mentally fatiguing to leave it on for long," said Ino. She thought about it for a few moments. "Oh. Go back! Go back!"

"Something good?" asked Choji, thinking food.

"She got a good look at Sasuke while trying to find Naruto," said Ino.

"Tiresome," pronounced Shikamaru.

"Yeah, yeah," replied Ino. "Hmmm. That one looks likely."

"More Sasuke images?" asked Shikamaru with a tired sigh afterwards.

"No, there's a team from Mist who're building traps," said Ino. "They're near Hinata's team. Hinata confirmed that it's a Heaven scroll - which they can't use. But if they can ambush the ambushers that'll give either us or Team 7 a pair."

"And if we get extras, that means less competition in the third part of the exam - plus we can use surplus as bribes on the stronger teams," thought Shikamaru out loud.

"We ought to get going," said Choji nervously. "There's going to be some stronger teams gunning for us."

"Yeah, the sooner we link up, the better," said Ino. "I'm getting a very bad feeling about Team 7 all of a sudden."

* * *

"Okay, this is bad," summed up Naruto.

Sasuke used a kunai to move a piece of bandana. "This was the team from Hot Springs, at least that's the symbol on this forehead protector."

"I don't know anything about the Village Hidden In The Hot Springs," admitted Naruto.

Sakura noticed it had gone still and when she glanced up saw both boys watching her. "Why are you two looking at me?"

"Figured you'd be the one most likely to have heard something," answered Naruto.

"You suppose it was the full team?" asked Sasuke.

"Probably," said Naruto, looking a little ill. "I mean there's pieces of... pieces. Everywhere."

"Damn," said Naruto. "Why go to this extent?"

"Vengeance?" offered Sasuke.

"I could see it if they were just dead," said Naruto. "This is just gross. They got splattered."

Sasuke blinked and started looking around. "You're right. They didn't want these guys to be identified except by their forehead protectors."

"But then why leave the forehead protectors?" asked Sakura.

"Obvious," said Sasuke. "These aren't the guys from Hot Springs."

"Except if it's obvious, then maybe they ARE the guys from Hot Springs," mused Naruto.

"Don't make it more complicated than it has to be," protested Sasuke.

"Like if they expected us to find the headbands, then they could actually NOT be planted, except that they planned it that way so that we'd think it couldn't be the Hot Springs team, in which case... ICK! I stepped in someone's lung or something like that," said Sakura, cursing the open-toed sandals they all wore.

* * *

Ino nearly fell off the tree branch, then finally just leaned over and threw up into the grass below.

"You okay?" asked Choji.

"A vision?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah," said Ino between deep breaths.

"Bad one?" asked Choji.

"Yeah," agreed Ino. "Really bad one."

"What was it?" asked Shikamaru.

"Unclear," said Ino, holding up a hand to forestall questions while she recovered. "Okay. I think this is one of those points where the future can split into lots of different paths."

"I thought that was the way it normally went," commented Shikamaru, turning his eyes from Ino to scan the forest around them.

"Sort of, but this one's different," said Ino. "It's more major. It's like there's so much in the future depending on how things turn out here."

"Well, how bad is it?" asked Choji.

"We could all die," said Ino. "Us, Team 7, Team 8. Our village. Our nation. More. Worst case - everyone gets swallowed by the snakes."

"Okay, we'll put that down as the Bad Ending," said Shikamaru. "Any clue on how to avoid it?"

"We can't quit," said Ino. "We have to get through the second part of the exam, which is this exercise. Most of us have to live through fighting a... snake with many heads."

"Can you tell Team 7 and Team 8?" asked Shikamaru. "We ought to share what information we can since we're allies in this."

"Team 7 yes," said Ino. "Team 8 is ambushing a team from Rain."

* * *

Hinata wasn't completely underconfident in herself. The more she'd associated with Naruto, the more she came to stand on her own two feet. Doing anything with/to him could bring back all the shyness she'd ever had, but in situations like this she was doing better. Just what she'd managed on that bridge helped.

When a shower of kunai were sped her way, she turned on her Byakugan and used her speed and flexibility to dodge each one.

She was peripherally aware of a swarm of bugs descending upon a second ninja, while a third was attempting to fight two Kibas - one of whom was Akamaru using a transformation jutsu.

Most of her attention was on the one facing her. Who readied his umbrella and beckoned her closer.

Jyuuken, the Hyuga clan martial art style, utilized precise chakra control and their special eyes, to shut down an opponent's chakra system. Leaving the opponents weakened, often with internal injuries, and possibly just plain dead. It was a "gentle fist" only in comparison to the "strong fist" style or styles which used sharp pointy objects thrust into the opponent's body.

The Rain ninja favored the latter, twirling his umbrella around and triggering dozens of poisoned kunai to shoot out in a sudden rain that would kill unwitting targets.

Except that Hinata was not unwitting or taken by surprise. Her Byakugan allowed her to see chakra and hidden mechanisms. Her speed was not as good as that of her cousin Neji, nor was she as fierce and aggressive as her little sister. She was a bit more confident in herself because of what she'd done at that bridge in Wave Country, and she had received feelings of support/comfort/encouragement from not only Naruto but through her mental link with Ino Yamanaka.

Most of the kunai missed her, those that were actually a danger she reacted to by shifting around the kunai and using chakra-coated hands to deflect those remaining.

The Rain-nin noticed the girl was still incoming, and let go of the umbrella in order to reach for the sword at his hip.

"Eight trigrams! Two palms!"

The double palmstrike to the nin's chest caused him to stagger back, out of his earlier combat stance.

"Four palms! Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms!"

The enemy-nin was falling backwards as Hinata pivoted on one leg, sweeping around to follow.

Kiba watched, standing over his own surprised and fallen opponent as Hinata lashed out with a kick. "So that's... thirty-two palms and a heel?"

Shino glanced up from the buzzing mound concealing his own opponent and let out a deep sigh.

"What?" demanded Kiba.

Shino shook his head as Hinata recovered the scroll.

* * *

"They got it. Hinata's team got an extra Heaven scroll," reported Ino. "This way. All three of us can meet here at this point."

Shikamaru nodded. That meant they still needed an Earth scroll for Team 8, and another Heaven for Team 7. It was a start though, and they'd spent at most an hour in the forest so far.

"Ugh," said Choji. "Giant leeches. Not even any good meat on them."

"Is everything food with you?" asked Ino.

"His jutsu require a lot of stored physical energy," Shikamaru reminded her. "Food supply is something he has to be concerned with."

"It's just... ick," said Ino as Choji kicked the leeches off their branch.

"Let's go, we'll have to hurry," said Shikamaru. "I have a feeling that other teams will be setting up ambushes."

* * *

"Something... something's hunting us," announced Naruto abruptly in between leaps.

"Something not someone?" asked Sasuke as he landed on another branch and pushed off to the next.

"Not sure," admitted Naruto after two more leaps. "Whatever it is, it's pretty well-shielded. All I'm getting is that it's strong."

"How strong? Should we lay in an ambush?" asked Sakura, looking around nervously.

"Way strong," said Naruto. "Can't tell too much. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A dozen Naruto split into groups of three, with two of each team using a transformation to shift into Sasuke and Sakura.

"Split up," said Naruto, looking around. "Thanks Hinata."

"Hinata?" asked Sakura.

"Hinata came up with that idea?" asked Sasuke as he watched his duplicates go bounding off in other directions.

"Yeah, then she apologized for it," said Naruto, shaking his head.

"Okay, we'll see if that slows our tail down," said Sasuke, shaking his head at the idea. "You owe her one."

"Like either of us are keeping score," said Naruto. "But yeah - I guess so."

Sakura missed the next branch because she was busy being flummoxed by the fact that Sasuke was offering relationship advice, and Naruto was taking it.

"Wow, so that's a face-fault," said Naruto, stopping to look down at where Sakura had impacted the ground.

Sasuke merely muttered something about useless fangirls that it was really just as well that Sakura couldn't hear.

* * *

"We have to hurry," said Hinata.

"Why?" asked Kiba, thinking they were already going pretty fast.

"Ino's had another vision," said Hinata, managing to speed up a bit more.

Shino tossed a kunai in front of Hinata, bringing her up short.

"What did you do that for?" asked Kiba.

"If we exhaust ourselves getting there, we will become liabilities instead of assets in a conflict," reasoned Shino as he continued on at a still-fast pace. "Also, we have to beware ambushes along the way."

"Good point," conceded Kiba. He turned to Hinata to add to that. "So, we'll just have to count on your boyfriend being more impressive than he was in the Academy."

As Hinata stumbled, reddened, and fidgeted, Kiba noticed Shino giving him a nod of acknowledgement as Hinata's frantic mood was at least temporarily derailed.

* * *

"We're not ready, damn it," said Ino, her frustration apparent. Frustration and something else.

Shikamaru realized it was fear. "This snake chasing Sasuke is that bad?"

"When I see it, its' eyes - it turns my stomach," said Ino.

"Okay," said Shikamaru. He couldn't stop, but he could start planning.

There was a distant explosion.

"What was that?" asked Choji.

"Some of Naruto's fire clones," said Ino, involuntarily slowing. "He gets memories of the clones when he does that? He didn't realize that? IDIOT!"

Shikamaru nodded, a little relieved. Ino's fear had disappeared behind annoyance with the male she was mind-linked with. Fear was a healthy reaction, so long as it was moderated. If Ino could limit it to a reasonable level, she'd be more likely to fight in an intelligent manner.

* * *

"What was THAT?" asked Sasuke as the plume of fire and smoke ebbed.

"Maybe I put a bit too much into making those fire clones," mused Naruto. "Hey! How was I supposed to know?"

Sasuke frowned.

"Look, I'm sorry, Ino, I'll pay attention more in the future," said Naruto. "Yeesh."

"What's she mad about?" asked Sasuke, who'd never seen Ino actually angry. Teasing or bickering with Sakura - sure. Angry? He couldn't immediately think of an occasion at any rate.

"Memories from my clones," said Naruto. "Apparently she and Hinata got a flash of that when the Grass nin intercepted my clones."

"It's a team from Grass?" asked Sakura, seizing the piece of intel.

"Hinata says she's better at analyzing stuff from brief glimpses," said Naruto after a moment. "Grass ninja. One. Except there's something wrong with the face. Might be a henge of some kind. She can't tell without her Byakugan."

"Hnnn," said Sasuke, seeing some benefits with the cooperation between teams.

Two more sets of explosions sounded through the forest.

"Oh crap," summed up Naruto, speeding up a bit more.

* * *

Orochimaru watched as his decapitated head slammed into a tree and dissolved into mud.

An eyebrow twitching was his major outward sign of the snake-summoner being vexed.

_Fire-chakra enhanced shadow clones,_ mused Orochimaru as he clamped down on frustration with his will. _Chakra-intensive, but that's the third one I've detonated. Which means the ninja using them must be throwing out another as soon as they've recovered. Probably popping soldier-pills. Meaning they'll be largely disabled when the pills wear off. So... a desperation move. Did my control slip for a moment?_

Orochimaru considered that and finally inclined his head as he put together the clues before him, then grinned. _I must have slipped, just for a moment. So the girl I was dismissing on their team must be a chakra sensor. Outwardly the three are a mismatch, with the Last Uchiha paired with a class clown and a weak fangirl. Yet the clown is now a rumored Yamanaka prodigy, and the girl is a chakra sensor. Clever Sarutobi, you put a promising team together under cover of being one genius and two hopeless genin. Well, I'll just have to take this a little more seriously._

* * *

"Crap! It's still coming," said Naruto. "Just a little slower. There's only one more group of clones."

"How close are the other groups?" asked Sasuke, to all appears cooly considering battle plans.

"Ino's group is five minutes away," said Naruto after pausing to consult. "Hinata's group is closer to fifteen."

"Never mind them, what about some serious help if this guy's that dangerous?" asked Sakura. "Aren't the proctors going to get involved?"

"I tried contacting two," admitted Naruto. "Just ones I've come into contact with. I'm really not sure I succeeded in either case."

* * *

"Anko Mitarashi, yes?" asked the boy.

"Haku, right?" asked Anko by way of reply.

"Yes," said Haku politely.

"What was that, anyway?" asked Anko.

"Naruto Uzumaki," said Haku. "I've met him before."

"Huh," said Anko. "All I got was a feeling of something wrong."

"He's met me, so perhaps that's why I got a little more," mused Haku. "There was a snake."

"Snake?" asked Anko, going still and her gaze ramping up two degrees of intensity. "What color?"

"White," said Haku.

Anko turned back towards the new chunin, trying to judge whether the kid knew anything.

"Though the eyes are... odd," said Haku.

Anko nodded once, then her hand dipped into a pocket and pulled out a headset she put into place. Okay, she'd take it seriously.

Another big explosion sent up a plume of fire in the distance.

* * *

"That's it," said Naruto with a gasp. "That's the last decoy."

"So, we stand and fight," said Sasuke, drawing a kunai.

"Ha! Give me your-" began three members of a ninja team.

They were immediately hit by a combined wall of fire from Naruto and Sasuke, with Sakura throwing a few kunai in for good measure.

"Who the hell were they?" asked Sasuke as the apparent genin went down.

"Uhm, just random genin from some village, I guess, but these were real genin - not like the guy who's coming," noted Naruto as he looked at the smouldering bodies.

"Okay," said Sasuke, drawing a second kunai so that he had one in each hand. "Backs to the tree trunks so he can't get behind us."

"Crap, he's here," said Naruto, jumping and throwing three kunai into the tree behind Sasuke.

There was a brief thunk of metal into wood, then a shape formed with three kunai held caught between his fingers.

"So," said the apparent Grass ninja. "I see the information about you being a useless clown wasn't completely accurate. How interesting."

"He doesn't look so bad," said Sakura.

"That isn't his real face," replied Naruto. "Let's see... ARGH!"

"Ohhhh," said the Grass-nin. "You just tried a Yamanaka technique didn't you? I take it you didn't study about the potential risks of that when used against someone who knows the appropriate counters, did you? Tsk."

"Oh hell," said Sasuke, looking at where Naruto was now on his knees and clutching his head.

"Now, Sasuke, it's just you and me," said the Grass-ninja.

Sakura began edging around in a circle.

"Let's see," said the Grass-nin before throwing out enough Killing Intent to paralyze both genin. "Oh. That was too easy. You risk disappointing me. And after such a promising beginning."

* * *

"Oh HELL," said Ino, surprising both Choji and Shikamaru with the uncharacteristic outburst.

"What happened?" asked Shikamaru pausing only briefly so that Ino could catch back up.

"The snakeman did some sort of counter against Naruto doing a mind probe, he's still alive but I can't tell much more than that," said Ino. "I just got a flash before the link went dead. No, not completely dead, I can still feel Hinata and he's there sort of..."

* * *

"Na-Naruto's hurt!" said Hinata, stumbling.

"The menace Ino was talking about?" asked Kiba.

"Obviously," said Shino. "I'm sending a portion of one colony ahead to the designated point."

"Yeah, Hinata, you stay here and try to recover - what the hell?" Kiba asked as the pale lavender of Hinata's eyes were suddenly aflame.

Kiba gawked for a moment as Hinata doubled her speed, heading towards the fight.

Shino let out a little sigh as he sped up as well.

Kiba finally shook his head and leapt forward as well, addressing Akamaru as he went. "You know, I thought I was supposed to be the impulsive reckless wild one."

"Arf."

"Thanks, Akamaru."

* * *

"Pathetic," said Orochimaru. "Is this all you have? I had expected so much more from the fire clones and reports."

He'd cranked up the Killing Intent until Sakura had drawn a kunai and was pointing the tip at her own throat.

Orochimaru moved forward, confident, cocky even. Why shouldn't he be? One of the genin was trapped in a simple genjutsu which caused all of his nerve endings to feel as if they'd been dropped into battery acid. The "Yamanaka prodigy" simply didn't have enough experience to be able to stand up to him. It made sense, now that he could think about it, that the prodigy was actually the sensor who'd picked up on his presence.

"So pinky here is actually as useless as I'd heard," mused Orochimaru aloud as the girl held her kunai in trembling hands. A little more push with Killing Intent and she'd slit her own throat. Not even worth the effort really.

Sasuke was fighting back though. Promise showing there. Not much of one. He'd require some goading to get him to show his potential, which this current strategy was not apparently going to do.

Orochimaru licked his lips. Nothing worthwhile was ever easy. Well, perhaps he had some feelings for his team? Unlikely, but possible.

One hand wrapped around the girl's neck and he lifted her up by that grip, considering all the things he could do with this otherwise useless genin. Perhaps scribe a fuuinjutsu on that broad forehead in her own blood? He hadn't done anything like that for awhile. A symbol of blindness perhaps? Or maybe that one jutsu that used a summoned snake that would dive down that throat opened to scream, the one that would eventually turn her into a snake herself? Maybe just something to paralyze her so that he could use the useless girl's lifeforce in that resurrection spell? So many possibilities indeed.

Orochimaru blinked as he noticed an insect land on his arm. Followed by another. Followed by more?

He whirled and threw the pink one, as some other girl came charging towards him out of the trees. The two should collide satisfactorily.

At that point he could concentrate on getting rid of the bugs which were now crawling all over him, who had discovered that his chakra had turned poisonous to them and were now in the process of carving into his flesh.

How terribly annoying.

"Eight trigrams!"

Eyes involuntarily flicked to where the pink was lying on the ground and there was no indication of the girl who had apparently been a bunshin?

* * *

Hinata didn't waste any energy on smirking when her bunshin evaporated when it was impacted by Sakura. She also realized she couldn't spare any thought to Naruto's teammate when Naruto was apparently down and the person responsible had (also apparently) dismissed her as harmless.

"Eight trigrams," said Hinata, aiming a double palmstrike at the Grass-nin's kidneys. It was intended as an opening move that would have been followed by as many palms as she could slam into the opponent. This close she could SEE the chakra network and from the strength and complexity - if this was a genin then she was the Queen Of Fire Country.

"Oh, almost," said the Grass-nin as he twisted out of the way. "Oh, a Hyuga! And an unmarked one!"

"Get away from him!" demanded Hinata, continuing her attack.

"So slow though, not nearly as graceful as the Hyuga I've known," said the Grass-nin as he moved around her attacks. "Hmmm. 'him'? Who, Sasuke?"

Hinata gasped for breath, her exertions rapidly tiring her, but still wanting only to drive him away from Naruto.

The Grass-nin noticed, almost missing a dodge. "The orphan Yamanaka-stylist? You're kidding? Well, maybe I'll just have to kill him."

"NO!" declared Hinata, moving into another set of jyuuken strikes but launching kunai in the same motion.

"Ah," said the Grass-nin, still fluidly moving out of the way of the attacks. "Better, much better, but still entirely too pathetic for my tastes."

Then there was a sudden flare of pain and the world went dark.

* * *

"Kagemane no jutsu!" called out Shikamaru as striking Hinata caused the Grass-nin to step across the thin line of shadow.

"Nikudan Sensha!" attacked Choji, hearing his cue. He leapt out from the branch he'd been creeping out on, shifted his mass so that he was now spherical in shape, and dropped towards the target.

"You know, if someone's strong enough they can reverse this technique," said the Grass-nin, breaking loose and casually catching Choji's spherical form.

"N-not yet," grunted Shikamaru, trying to regain control of the technique.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu !"

Choji shifted his mass again and twisted free as the flames washed over the Grass-nin.

"This is getting ridiculous," managed the Grass-nin. "All I wanted was Sasuke's body, is that too much to ask?"

The shock of that statement caused everyone to just stare at the enemy nin for a moment.

"Oh well," said the Grass-nin, pulling off the tatters of his face to reveal another face beneath it. "Time for me to put an end to this little bit of fun. I think I'll just kill this little girl."

Seeing the guy pick up the unconscious Hinata, everyone continued to pause. Shikamaru ran through two dozen possible strategies as he tried to figure out a way of redeeming this situation.

* * *

Pain.

Everything hurt. There was no room for thought, everything was just an ocean of pain he was drowning in.

_NARUTO!_

An orange pinpoint of light blossomed in the pain, a little spark.

_Naruto! She's going to die!_

The spark widened, spread. Flame consuming the ocean.

_Naruto! He's got Hinata!_

_Ino? What?_

_Naruto! Get up! He's killing Hinata!_

Fire consumed the world, burning away the ocean. The Phoenix stirred, raising its cruel beak to scream vengeance at the world.

* * *

"Gatsuuga!"

"Pathetic," said the pale-skinned man, deflecting the whirlwind with one armsweep. "All I have to do is slow your rotation and then Sen'eijashu!"

"Kiyah!" said Ino, plunging a kunai into her target's back.

"You can't have him!" said Sakura, throwing several more kunai at the pale face of their attacker.

The body swayed for a moment, then melted into mud.

"Mud clone!" realized Shikamaru aloud, turning as he tried to spot the enemy.

Shikamaru flew into the clearing to land in a heap a second later.

"Now," said Orochimaru, walking up to the fallen Hyuga. "Maybe I'll just take those eyes as a consolation and come back later when you're all not quite so busy."

_FWOOOM!_

"Leave. Her. Alone," stated the "Yamanaka Prodigy" as he stood up, little licks of fire appearing along his skin.

"Oh, you are an interesting one, aren't you?" said Orochimaru to the genin. "Let's see what you've got, shall we?"

"Naruto!" called out Ino. "He uses clone techniques. You have to hit the real one."

"Right," said Naruto, the trails of flame kicking up several degrees.

"Going to use a fire technique?" asked Orochimaru, now holding the fallen girl up by the neck and slowly strangling her. "While I hold this poor victim and your friends are around? Maybe you all should just back off instead."

* * *

"If only we knew where he was, IF he's actually here," mused Anko as she came to a stop atop a tree branch. "Can't see anything but the tops of trees from here."

"Well, it isn't like an S-Class Missing Nin is going to advertise that 'here I'm beating up on helpless genin'," pointed out Haku.

"!"

Haku and Anko turned and blinked at the sight of a giant bird of flame, spreading its wings and screaming before diving into the forest.

Anko bit her lip for a moment. "You were saying?"

"Well," said Haku, shrugging. "I suppose that works."

* * *

_Well, this is certainly annoying,_ realized Orochimaru as another of his earth-clones became flaming shards of baked brick.

_That genin needs to be put down and out of the way,_ mused Orochimaru. _Water versus fire?_

The flames parted and the pink-hair from earlier, apparently unscathed by the fires burning everywhere, managed to shove a kunai into his side. He retaliated with a backhand that threw the girl nearly two meters away. Having been getting this treatment, he then spun and blocked the blonde girl from her own attack on him.

Orochimaru made a strategic retreat. _There was a large stream back this way. That should provide some raw material._

* * *

"Where is Neji, do you suppose?" asked Rock Lee.

"It's taking him longer than I expected," admitted Tenten.

Rock Lee frowned for a few seconds. "I think we should investigate that bird of fire."

"It couldn't be -" began Tenten.

_whishhhhh_  
_zippppppp_

"That was two of the proctors," noted Rock Lee.

"Maybe we should follow," said Tenten, her curiosity having been engaged. "Just in case."

"Excellent," said Rock with a smile.

* * *

Orochimaru skidded to a halt on the muddy banks of the stream, smiling and licking his lips.

The boy he'd been facing earlier dropped out of the trees, his shirt flapping up.

The widening of the eyes was quickly stopped. _There. Just for a moment. An eight-lobed Seal. Well, well, well. What DO you have sealed within you? The Heavens truly are on my side._

"OROCHIMARU! DIE! PAINFULLY!"

_Oh hell. Not now._ "Anko! How nice to see you again. You're looking well."

Snakes were launched. Snakes were counter-launched. Some fell with ice needles sticking through them.

"Genin! Get out of here! This snake is MINE!" declared Anko as she closed with her prey.

"Nice distraction," said Orochimaru, his arm lengthening to drive a hand into the blonde boy's stomach. "Five prong seal!"

A moment later and his arm was transfixed by several glittering needles of ice, but the annoying boy had fallen. Now all he had to do was retreat and recover.

* * *

The song. She'd heard it briefly during her time in that void with the bird of fire, though mainly she'd focussed on Naruto. Through the link she'd been aware of it, low and easily ignored in order to focus on the important things of the day.

Now she heard it, louder as if someone had turned up the volume. Her eyes snapped open.

Naruto was in trouble.

Someone was going to pay.

* * *

Toltiir sat in the metaspacial pocket and watched. This part wasn't funny, in and of itself, but those who survived tended to provide more comic opportunities than those who did not.

The Phoenix was working out in that respect. He'd copied the Marvelverse Phoenix, then altered a few things that hadn't made much sense to him. The lack of pyrokinesis for one thing. Oh, there was that 'cosmic fire' thing. This was more magical fire though, and similar to the sort of control that one of those Rifts-Earth Bursters did. Much more fun if he could sneeze and burn people's clothes off without hurting them after all.

The Phoenix was also part of the cycles of life and death, creation and destruction, of burning away the old so that the new could develop.

Which was why Ino Yamanaka now had her precognitive flashes. Which was why Hinata, now channelling the bulk of the energy because Naruto had fallen and Ino was lying dazed on the ground, was about to completely leave the path she would otherwise have walked.

* * *

Orochimaru was being pressed, not that he really wanted to give that impression. When the boy had fallen, his flames had immediately extinguished. All of them. Which caused Orochimaru some distraction as that would indicate genjutsu, except that burned and scorched vegetation was still burned and scorched.

Most of his attention was on avoiding Anko's use of his own techniques against him, and this one chunin wearing an ANBU mask who was throwing around ICE techniques. He really wanted to get genetic samples of that one.

Other than the fire-wielding boy, who had hesitated, none of the genin were obeying Anko's repeated orders for them to pull back. It was like they were out for blood or something.

Oh, well, they probably were - weren't they?

Ah, Sasuke was charging in from the side, easily blocked and...

Where had pinkette come from? Really, was it too much to ask that the little girl just stay out of it?

There! A quick genjutsu should lock her up for awhile. He'd had that one ready but hadn't expected to have to use it. Now he could just deal with Anko, the Hyouton user, Sasuke, and that OTHER returning annoying little Hyuga girl. Wait one moment, were her eyes now blazing like molten gold?

Konoha might not be as valueless as originally thought.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Sakura dropped and he was facing this guy alone. Well, alone except for the occasional sniper shot by Haku and that proctor in the trenchcoat.

Then Hinata zipped past him, and Sasuke's Sharingan immediately noticed the difference. Hinata was leaving a trail in the air behind her, surrounded by golden fire, jabbing out with her first two fingers of her right hand at Orochimaru in an obvious attack. Orochimaru blocked casually, smirking.

The smirk vanished as Orochimaru's arm began bubbling up, twisting and distorting.

* * *

_Focus past the pain._

Hinata saw that Orochimaru was ready for her, holding his position so that the ice needles that WOULD have stabbed if he had dodged just fell past him.

She SAW him. Saw the twists of black chakra. The vibrant blues, the traces of green healing chakra as he closed off his own wounds. She saw the tenketsu, and she saw deeper, the little trails and fibers. It was all so easy to see now.

He had hurt her, and he had hurt Naruto. She would hurt HIM.

He blocked her strike, just as she'd thought he would do, using a thin chakra shell to protect against a typical Jyuuken strike. She arced her spirit, striking the targets she could see clearly now.

* * *

Orochimaru leapt away as his arm seemed to triple in mass, becoming a misshapen thing as it swelled up. Then it exploded in a shower of gore.

And Hinata was closing the distance once again.

* * *

Neji stood on the branch, having been ready to dive in and strike down this attacker. Not that it was really any of his business and having the Main Branch hime get hurt and unable to continue was really in everyone's best interest.

When his Byakugan revealed golden fire surrounding her, he'd stopped where he was and stared as he tried to understand this. Then the strike, with little arcs of chakra stabbing out around the point of impact.

He'd seen it all using his Byakugan. He had no idea how she did it, but he saw it. Her chakra had entered the target at four tenketsu, twisted somehow, and then managed a massive reverse-healing technique of some kind. It had actually infiltrated along the chakra circulatory system? The pale-faced ninja's arm had come apart down to the cellular level, perhaps further down than that.

"What. The. Hell?" said Neji to himself as he watched the useless silly schoolgirl closing to attack again, somehow having transformed herself into an angel of death when he wasn't looking.

He could see one other thing though. She was burning through her own chakra so quickly she'd be lucky if she didn't end up in a coma at the end of this fight.

* * *

Orochimaru tried to use his instant regeneration technique, pulling himself out of his own mouth. Yes it used a lot of chakra. Did he really have a choice?

That caused him some slight anxiety when he discovered he couldn't reform the lost arm. Unfortunately, that meant the little Hyuga was about to hit him again. Something he absolutely could NOT allow.

He spat up Kusanagi, planning to pierce the girl with its grip between his teeth.

A large chunk of ice slammed into the side of his head.

This was beyond belief. If he could face Anko and that chunin alone - he could wipe them out easily. As it was, as soon as he had a bead on one of those the genin would spoil the attack. As soon as he concentrated on the worthless genin, Anko and this ice-user would start in on him.

Really, he could swat any of them alone. The problem was that they'd strike from concealment, hit-and-run, constantly changing position and there was enough of them that they could attack from wherever his attention was NOT and then shift around to repeat it. It was... well, it was perfectly ninja of them - but frustrating all the same. He could use a wide-area jutsu to wipe most of them out but then he'd lose the chance to acquire those lovely Sharingan eyes.

"JUGGERNAUT JUTSU!" announced someone new as they charged through the clearing, slammed into him hard enough to break his chakra armor-sheathing technique and three of his right ribs at the same time.

Orochimaru tried lashing out with his tongue, to rip the head off of the offender - except someone used the opportunity to stick three kunai, a senbon, and a fork into his tongue! A fork? Who the heck brought a FORK to a ninja fight?

"Summoning Jutsu!" tried Orochimaru, letting the impact throw him sideways so he could slap his remaining hand against the ground.

And then that damnable Hyuga slapped a hand against his leg before leaping back!

She staggered back and away, and ice was forming around his head, but as Manda was providing a diversion/alternate target, he thought he could spot Sasuke through the frost now sweeping through the forest. Time to do what he'd started out to do, and then use a shunshin.

He retracted his neck as quickly as possible, especially as he'd barely managed to put the bite on the target before his mouth had frozen over. Damn Hyouton user. Couldn't see a damn thing, but hopefully he hadn't placed the cursemark where it could be amputated off. Sasuke would be his!

Now just a replacement technique with another mud clone. Break the ice enclosing his head, and... observe a hand reach out and smack him in the forehead?

Darkness.


	14. Chapter 14:Preliminaries 1

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 14: Test 3, Preliminaries

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of the author.

* * *

Tenten had no idea WHAT was going on. She'd nearly run into the crazy-snake-proctor while circling through the foilage. (Really, fishnet and trenchcoat? What kind of message was she trying to send with THAT combination?) Now she was adopting the same tactics she'd glimpsed around her - stay at set distances from the Big Bad and attack with weapons of opportunity that she unsealed while moving.

She knew the guy they were all taking shots at was NOT a chunin. Rock Lee had hit him with the Juggernaut Jutsu he'd been practicing off and on, now instead of a punch Lee was doing a full body-slam version. THAT attack could take down a reinforced Earth Wall barrier jutsu. Instead this guy had lessened the impact by moving with it, but it still had to hit like the sort of wrecking ball used to demolish buildings.

She knew the proctor was jonin or special jonin, and she was pretty sure the other one was also a chunin. Hadn't he been one of those watching for cheaters on the first test? The rest of those around her were genin.

So, working theory (until she heard a better one) was that the white-faced guy whose tongue she'd just pierced with a fork (plus three kunai and a senbon) was some missing-nin out for revenge against a clan in Konoha.

Tenten tried launching several more missiles as the guy did some long-neck trick and then bit someone who'd gone down while everyone was reacting to the summoned giant snake in their midst.

Her eyes tracked to the fallen girl who had just gotten bitten by the snake-guy. She remembered her from the genjutsu class, but what had been her name again?

* * *

_Hours later:_  
The Hokage looked over the group, considered everything he COULD say, and what he could do about it.

Kurenai Yuhi, Iruka Umino, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Anko Mitarashi looked back.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I think that as soon as he's completed the basic training from the Yamanaka clan, that I really need to focus on the boy's training."

"Which boy?" asked Kurenai. "Nobody actually forbade any of the teams from working with each other, so it wasn't precisely against the rules."

"Teamwork always has been one of the strengths of our own village," agreed Kakashi.

"They were sneaky, seized whatever advantage they could, and accomplished their mission," pointed out Anko. "Acceptable ninja fashion."

"They performed in a most youthful manner," agreed Guy.

"Considering they were up against Orochimaru," said the Hokage as he pondered the matter, "some degree of leniency regarding their methods would be considered if this were a purely internal matter. After the Chunin Exams have played out, I will consider battlefield promotions for those who displayed appropriate judgement and ability."

There were a few nods at that, silent acknowledgement that politics was involved.

"Everyone's status?" asked the Hokage.

"Hinata Hyuga is suffering from chakra exhaustion," said Kurenai, glancing at the others as she gave off the status of her own genin team. "Kiba Inuzuka is a bit battered but will recover with a day or two. Shino Aburame lost a good portion of his colony during the fight and is at a handicap until they can be replaced."

"Sasuke is fine," said Kakashi, one eye closing in a smile that was otherwise concealed by his mask. "In fact, he is quite concerned about his two teammates. Though he won't admit that. Sakura received a cursemark intended for him, though I doubt anyone intended for it to be put on her arm like that. Naruto..."

"I've looked at his seal," interrupted Jiraiya with a nod towards Kakashi. "I'll have to remove the extra seal that Orochimaru put on him, as the imbalance is making him too ill to do anything but sit by the Hyuga girl's bedside. More often than not, he's as out of it as she is."

"That Hyuga girl is a shy little wallflower," said Anko. "Except that in this fight she $%#ing ROCKED!"

Asuma frowned thoughtfully, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Ino is having some problems from being linked to Naruto and Hinata with both of them spending most of their time unconscious. She's also low on chakra. Shikamaru and Choji have some minor bruising and low reserves, mainly from fighting that boss-snake."

"From my team, only Tenten and Rock Lee fought the unyouthful Orochimaru," noted Guy when he noticed it was his turn. "Tenten was quite suited to the 'attack at a distance' fighting style, but noticed that her target was deflecting many of her shots with a sort of wind barrier around him. She is taking that as a challenge and is trying to work out methods of countering such if she ever encounters it again. Lee was able to get in one good hit, but otherwise was unable to close with the snake's master. He was however able to do considerable damage to the summoned snake using his special technique."

"Yes, I understand he was eaten, then activated his 'Juggernaut Jutsu' to blast his way back out of Manda," noted the Hokage. He'd been briefed on details, but he wanted to hear things directly from the team leaders on this.

"Neji did not take part in the battle, preferring to observe and bide his strength," said Guy. "He... seems confused by something but is not willing to speak of whatever it is."

"Then there's just the prelimaries to get through, with a final elimination of some genin so that the rest can go on to the third part of the Exam," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing his Hokage hat and looking as gravely concerned as the situation required.

"If at all possible, you should stall both the Hyuga girl and that kunoichi of Kakashi's team," stated Jiraiya as he stepped away from the wall. "I want to look at that cursed seal and try putting a seal around it to help regulate it. I also heard from the doctors about the Hyuga."

"Something they didn't tell her team leader?" asked Kurenai.

"There are rules against releasing information to outsiders, particularly when main clan members are concerned," said Jiraiya, waving the point off. "That doesn't mean someone can't sneak through their security to check on things. The Hyuga girl manifested a Stage II version of the Byakugan. Something that turned her eyes gold - there are no records of that happening before. Whatever it involved apparently put quite a strain on both her eyes and her chakra network."

"Is she all right?" asked Kurenai.

"For now, yes," said Jiraiya. "There's a problem though."

* * *

Jiraiya was absolutely sure he was silent when he slipped into the room.

Which made the girl sitting up abruptly the more surprising. "Who's there?"

"Jiraiya. I need to check Naruto's seal. I didn't expect you to be here."

"Na-Naruto's here?"

"You squeaked," said Jiraiya, letting amusement sound in his voice. "The genin girl who put the finishing blow on Orochimaru, infamous S-Class Missing Nin. Who apparently stood up to Momochi Zabuza. You should NOT squeak."

"B-but... that's whose breathing I heard?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, he's been by your bedside as soon as he could get up and move," said Jiraiya, ignoring all the interesting colors the girl was turning. "We're still in the tower in the Forest Of Death, by the way. They just set up a couple of rooms as impromptu hospital rooms. Did you speak to any of the Medic-Nin?"

"Y-yes, they say that I'm suffering from chakra exhaustion and shouldn't use my Byakugan," said Hinata.

"Right, now I need to talk to you about that," said Jiraiya, taking a seat on the bed. "They told you about the strain to your eyes?"

"Ye-yes," said Hinata. "You're Jiraiya the Toad Sage, one of the Sannin?"

"Yes," said Jiraiya. "Man, the gaki is sleeping through this conversation. Just proves how badly messed up he is, I suppose."

"I see," said Hinata, smiling a little as she then reached up and touched her blindfold. "In a manner of speaking."

"You'll recover from the eyestrain and damage," said Jiraiya. "But that forced 'second stage Byakugan' could leave you permanently blind if you overdo it. Just keep that in mind."

"I understand, Jiraiya-san," said Hinata.

"Now I need to wake the gaki up so I can inspect his seals and undo what snake-face did," said Jiraiya a bit more cheerfully.

* * *

Kabuto frowned as he looked at the body. Well, what was left of it. One arm, one leg, and the top of the head were missing.

Genin had done this. Not only genin, but rookie genin. They'd apparently been severely underestimated then struck hard and fast until the final blow could be struck. By someone who every report he'd been able to accumulate was a complete waste of a bloodline. Hinata Hyuga.

This was completely unexpected, but he could still make use of the situation. He alone knew all of Orochimaru's plans. He alone could use his position in the Medical Corps in order to access these remains and the samples he could collect. He alone could continue on the great projects and eventually surpass Orochimaru!

* * *

Hiashi Hyuga cultivated the stoic mostly-emotionless clan head image.

Which made his jaw dropping a momentary break from that image.

"Hinata? My daughter Hinata?" asked Hiashi Hyuga.

"Yes sir, I have confirmed this twice," said the branch member.

"What do we call it?" asked an elder. "'Kingan'?"

"Hush," said another elder.

Hanabi frowned but otherwise didn't so much as twitch as she stood in the dojo and waited for her father to finish.

"My daughter, Hinata," said Hiashi. "Who for years was a severe disappointment. Who assisted in the capture of a village traitor just after graduating the Academy. Who apparently fought and temporarily disabled a jonin-level missing nin named Momochi Zabuza. Who has spent an inordinate amount of time around Naruto Uzumaki. And has now manifested a previously unknown second stage version of the Byakugan. Who has, though with help, killed the S-Class Missing Nin Orochimaru?"

"It... is exactly as you say, Hiashi-sama," said the branch family member.

"It is doubtful the fox-brat had anything to do with this," said an elder. "The very thought is ridiculous."

An older woman cleared her throat. "In chemistry, there are things known as a 'catalyst' - which enables other chemical reactions to occur. Perhaps that is all."

Hiashi shook his head briefly in silence. "Enough. Fuu, continue to monitor the situation and act as contact for the family with the physicians."

"Yes Hiashi-sama," said Fuu. "Hinata-sama is currently suffering from chakra exhaustion and injuries taken during the battle. It is possible she will be unable to fight during the preliminaries."

"We shall see," said Hiashi, before turning back to his other daughter.

* * *

Hanabi Hyuga had listened. She was observant.

Her eldest sister was technically competent, it was just that she typically fought either Neji or herself. Hanabi had no false modesty, knowing that she had a skill and aggressive nature that Hinata did not have. Neji was hailed as a branch family genius. So merely competent was insufficient.

Hanabi also knew that her father and herself were respected, even feared, by many of the branch family members. Hinata, on the other hand, was loved.

_I'm the stronger of the two of us. I'm the one who should be heir. She's the one who should be marked and shifted to the branch._ Hanabi struck the training dummy which cracked from the force of impact. _When she gets back, I will simply demonstrate that I am still stronger than she is._

* * *

_Several hours previously:_  
"You three! Turn over your scroll immediately, or stand and be slaughtered."

"How tiresome," said Gaara, not even turning around. "Kankuro. What headbands are they wearing?"

"Uhm," said a nervous Kankuro. "Rain."

"Ah," said Gaara. "Good."

"Who do you think you are?" said one of the genin. "We're the unstoppable-"

"Sand coffin," said Gaara casually as a wave of sand overwhelmed the three genin. He clenched his fist, there were some muffled screams, and then he released his fist.

"Uhm, okay, it's the right one," said Kankuro after picking through the bodies.

"Good," said Gaara. "We'll get to the tower and then I'll have lunch."

"Uhm... it's not usual for you to get enthusiastic about lunch," said Kankuro, who was STILL on edge. Gaara had been acting different ever since facing that blonde kid, and different with Gaara could be very very dangerous.

"I've never had a 'bento' before," said Gaara. "Oh, all right, Mother. I'll give you some rice and TWO pickles. How's that?"

Kankuro whimpered. He could just tell this was going to end up bad.

* * *

_Present:_

Gaara unwrapped the box, lifted off the lid, and looked over the contents. A half-dozen questions, regarding what the names of the contents were, occurred to him.

Nonetheless, he ate. Some parts he didn't care for. There were a couple of parts he did rather like.

Finally it was done though, and he merely put the little box away for return.

It was odd. Really odd. Someone had given him something for a reason that didn't have to do with fear or because they wanted something from him. They had simply made him a lunch because the grandson of the Hokage's friend had overheard the second test took a week. Resulting in he, Gaara of the Sand, getting a lunch that some child had prepared for him.

It was... something he wasn't entirely sure how to handle.

Well, maybe the plans would change again.

* * *

"Did you hear?"

Neji knew with absolute certainty that he did NOT want to hear what the two genin (both of whom were from that 'music note village' or whatever it called itself) were going to say.

"Yeah, the 'loser' girl, the Hyuga reject, killed an S-Class missing nin."

Neji snarled and prepared to leave. It was stupid. They didn't have the slightest clue what had occurred. Gossip was pointless.

"Yeah, and I heard the 'Hyuga genius' just stood around and watched with his Jyuuken thumbs up his butt! HAH!"

Neji stopped walking away and twitched.

"Really, how long did they think we'd be fooled by that sort of thing? It's in these tests that REAL ability gets shown."

"You said it. Trying to fool us with the 'genius' actually being some slacker, and the 'reject' being badass. Can't keep up the fiction during these exams though."

Neji stalked off, keeping his twitching under control.

Dosu smirked at his partner. Seed planted. Now a couple more incidents and things should be set up quite nicely.

* * *

Naruto had woken up, had his seal examined, and had eventually been dragged off by the Toad Sage for further training and development of techniques.

Hinata quietly dressed, then spent a moment looking at the chair Naruto had slept on.

She felt that unfamiliar feeling bubble up from her tummy. Leaving her a little light headed and tingly, with a smile she had trouble wiping off her face into a more proper Hyuga expression.

Checking the door to make sure it was closed, Hinata took a deep breath.

Then did a couple of skips and hops just from the sheer joy of knowing that she was liked and appreciated and that she was NOT a failure.

And turned around to see Kurenai had come in through the window while she was watching the door...

"Uhm," said Hinata.

"Right," said Kurenai. "If you're feeling better, we need to get you to the meeting area."

* * *

"Even though Kabuto Yakushi has dropped out, we still have to have some preliminary bouts to reduce the number of contestants," said Hayate.

"Your team didn't do too bad, Kakashi, but against my team, it is unfortunate that they'll stop here," said Guy. "Though the fires of youth burn brightly within your team, experience and strength will overshadow your poor genin."

"Hmmm?" asked Kakashi, yawning behind his mask. "Oh, did you say something?"

"Curse your hip attitude, Kakashi," grumbled Guy aloud.

"Now the Lord Hokage will explain the test," said Anko. "So listen up, you maggots."

"As Hayate indicated, there will be preliminary battles to settle who goes on to the Individual Combat portion of the exam," said the Hokage. "Most of you have figured out that the Chunin Exams are a microcosm, a representation, of the combat that occurs within even the allied nations. Once, all of our nations fought with each other for power and wealth or simply to avenge old grievances. They all started out as ninja wars, became a combat of champions, and eventually developed into our current system. It is during the third exam that prospective employees and the lords of various nations will attend to witness your battles."

There was some stirring among the various genin at that.

"The country's strength is the village's strength, the village's strength is the strength of the individual shinobi. It is that strength that determines how much money clients and agents will offer those villages for various jobs. It is therefore a matter of national pride to do exceptionally well in these final exams. Hayate?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I will be the judge for the third part of these exams. Is there anyone else who wants to quit? Kabuto Yakushi quit as soon as he reached the tower. Anyone else, this is your final chance to step down before entering a life-or-death battle," said Hayate, stopping at the end to endure a wet cough.

"NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" yelled Sakura, snarling at the judge.

"Fine then," said Hayate. "There are no rules. If your opponent dies, or if I rule the opponent cannot continue, the match ends. Otherwise anything goes."

* * *

"-but the curse mark eats away at body and chakra. She shouldn't be allowed to continue," argued Anko.

"It may be nothing," argued Kakashi. "After all, Orochimaru's dead. We can't keep her from participating just because she got a hickey."

"Don't call it a 'hickey'," growled Anko.

* * *

The electronic display flashed through several names, revealing the first match.

"Hmph," said Yoroi Akadou, holding himself ready. "They've sent me a lightweight. This'll be easy."

"Did they match us because of our similar names?" asked Manabu Akado. "Eh, no big deal. I can't promise to go easy on you just cause you're a kid though."

"I'm twenty three, old man," responded Yoroi.

"Are you two done yet?" asked Hayate Gekkou.

Manabu made a "take it easy" gesture to the proctor. "We have to get the taunting and boasting portion done, you know. We ARE modern ninja after all, performing before an audience. Got to do it proper."

"I'll give you proper, old man," said Yoroi. "A proper burial that is."

"Oh how original, I've only heard that a few dozen times," said Manabu as a reply. "So I'll give you a proper and traditional butt-kicking, how's that?"

"Let's just start instead," not-suggested Hayate as he leapt back out of the way, his hand cutting down in the start position.

Manabu smiled and reached into his sleeve, his hand pulling out some cards which he then fanned open. "Now, shall we start? Pick a card, any card."

"This isn't a card game," said Yoroi, lunging forward.

Manabu shrugged, leaping backwards and flipping one of the cards at his opponent.

Yoroi caught it. "What was that supposed to do?"

Manabu's hands slapped together in a seal. "Jailhouse Rock!"

A latticework of stone columns wove together around Yoroi.

"What the?" Yoroi looked at the card, then at his prison. "A seal technique?"

"That's what I'm good at," said Manabu. "If you need Seals, Glyphs, Runes, or Inscriptions - I'm your guy. My technique uses cards to manifest various effects. Jailhouse Rock constructs a prison of stone to hold my opponent."

"Let me out of here, old man," said Yoroi, dropping the now-blank card and heaving at the stone bars.

"After you forfeit," said Manabu.

"Not happening," said Yoroi, trying to use his chakra-drain technique on the stone.

"Well, how about this," said Manabu, drawing another card from his stack. "Goodness Gracious, Great Balls Of Fire!"

* * *

"I can do that a lot faster," pointed out Sasuke in the stands as the older genin began spitting fireballs at the caged opponent.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "On the other hand, he's only got five cards so that's only five techniques he can use, right?"

"I don't know, I think he's the sort to keep an ace in the hole," mused Kakashi.

"Something up his sleeve?" asked Naruto innocently.

"They're still just card tricks," pointed out Sakura. "In the rain, he'd be in trouble."

"Winner, Manabu Akado," declared Hayate as the caged ninja collapsed.

"Still, that imprisoning technique would be fairly effective against a number of opponents," mused Kakashi. "A lot of ninja rely on being able to get in close with their opponent or have short range techniques."

"That's why they teach trapmaking in school," pointed out Sakura.

"I must have missed that class," muttered Naruto.

"Hang on, they're generating the next fight," said Kakashi as the scoreboard began shifting again.

[Zaku Abumi] was the first name to appear. This was followed by [Ino Yamanaka.]

* * *

"Hope you're ready to get hurt," said Zaku, taking a general taijutsu stance. He hadn't gotten a chance to cut loose, and was really ready to show his stuff. With any luck he'd beat this little girl and go on to face Orochimaru's killer in the real exam.

"Begin," called out Hayate.

Ino dodged Zaku's attack. And the next one. And the one after that.

"Stop jumping around so I can kill you!" demanded Zaku as he sent another wind pulse, this time on a wider focus.

Ino blocked, crossing her arms in front of her face and shifting her stance to a more stable one.

"What?" Zaku snarled at the girl. Why hadn't she just gone down? He brought both arms up, and focussed. Hit her with the narrow bursts and she dodged. Go for a weaker but wider field attack and she blocked and braced herself. How was she reading his moves?

* * *

She could see it.

Only a second or so ahead of time, but that was enough advance notice for her to react before his attack.

Instead of the uncontrolled visions, this seemed to be something in reaction to the danger from this opposing ninja.

She was seeing him as he was, then a slightly faded image less than a second forward, then an even more faded image a full second out.

It was also going to give her a monster headache, she could feel it and some nausea building up.

Which just reinforced that everything she was doing was a stalling game. Unless she could get close, she couldn't hit him until either he or she reached the end of their chakra reserves. Which really wasn't an ideal situation.

* * *

The longer this continued, the more Zaku Abumi grew frustrated. He was also quite certain that this slip of a girl was reading every move he did ahead of time.

Not being a terribly subtle individual, he put both hands together and began firing full-out airblasts in an attempt to get and kill the girl.

When he was winded from that, he charged the girl. After all, she couldn't dodge as well at close range, right?

The girl panicked, dropping a handful of kunai and running ahead of him.

Zaku, naturally, pursued - heartened by the little girl's screech of terror.

"ZAKU! STOP!" yelled Dosu from his position in the stands.

"WHAT?" yelled Zaku, glancing up at his team-mate as he charged forward.

**_BOOM!_**

Dosu spoke in a more normal tone of voice as the fireball went off. "She dropped explosive tagged kunai behind her... idiot."

"Winner - Ino Yamanaka."

* * *

"How troublesome," said Shikamaru.

"How so?" asked Choji.

"If she makes chunin and we don't, she's going to become bossier than ever," summed up Shikamaru.

"Oh," said Choji, lowering his bag of chips. "You're right. That IS troublesome."

Shikamaru sighed as Ino took the stairs up off the arena floor, while Zaku was dragged off the floor by his team-mates. He DID notice that the girl and the guy each grabbed one of Zaku's legs and were dragging him off by his face. That might just indicate they weren't happy with him for his performance. Or lack thereof.

Then the next match was up and he had to redefine troublesome.

[Sasuke Uchiha]  
[vs]  
[Tora]

"AT LAST! THAT CAT IS GOING DOWN!" yelled Ino enthusiastically.

Might Guy leapt up and whacked the display, which buzzed and changed.

[Sasuke Uchiha]  
[vs.]  
[The Log]

"Guy?" asked the Hokage.

_THWACK!_ went Guy's palmstrike to the side of the display.

The display changed again, though there was also now a crack on that side of the box.

[Sasuke Uchiha]  
[vs.]  
[Sakura Haruno]

"Okay," said Naruto. "I didn't expect to see that."

Sakura was clearly off in some other world of her own, her expression flashing between one thing and another.

Sasuke merely shook his head as he passed her by, going down to the arena and waiting.

"Go Sasuke!" predictably called out Ino.

Shikamaru was silent from where he was apparently taking a nap. It was the least troublesome thing to do, so he probably WAS taking a nap.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, how does this help that whole 'teamwork' thing we keep getting stressed at us?" asked Naruto.

"Err," said Kakashi, his visible eye looking at the ceiling in response to the question. Apparently no answer appeared up there. "No clue. The last set of fights is usually individual battle though, so it was pretty inevitable that someone fights someone else from the same team. It just doesn't happen that often until the final rounds. Sakura, if you don't get down there right now - you'll forfeit the battle."

"Uh, right, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura, finally breaking off from whatever her internal debate was.

"Look at it this way, you've never gotten him to go out on a date no matter how many times you've asked," said Kakashi. "How many times have you asked him out?"

"Neh," said Choji, who actually stopped munching on chips in order to speak. "Maybe if you prove you're stronger than he thinks, he'll actually respect you enough to date you."

Sakura's head practically blurred as she whirled to stare at Choji, then she practically launched herself at the stairs.

"That's going to be... troublesome," said Kakashi.

"Shikamaru's asleep, so someone had to say it?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, let's go with that," agreed Kakashi.

* * *

Sakura settled into a wary stance, feeling the pins-and-needles sensation of that snake-hickey mark upgrade into a fitful burning sensation.

"Okay, you guys, give us a nice clean fight," began Hayate.

"Aren't we ninja?" asked Sasuke.

"Okay," said Hayate, "that might be true. Still, this is just a preliminary matchup and if you kill or maim each other it involves ever so much paperwork. Do try to be considerate about that."

"Gee, how terrible," said Sasuke, rolling his eyes.

"Very well, begin," said Hayate, leaping backwards so the two could properly go at it.

"So, are you going to forfeit?" asked Sasuke.

"I'm thinking about it," admitted Sakura.

"Don't," said Sasuke, drawing a kunai with each hand. "You managed to be the first one to hit the real Orochimaru among all those clones."

"I did?" Sakura blinked and tried to remember.

"For a brief moment, during that fight, I had some small respect for you," said Sasuke, still trying to get her to fight. "Come on, show me you're not deadweight on our team."

"Urk," managed Sakura, that hitting close to home on her own insecurities.

"Any time now," said Hayate from his position to the side before he started coughing and hacking.

"Maybe you ought to check that out," called down one of the other jonin.

"Aw, he just gave up smoking," said another jonin.

"I..." Sakura rubbed the area marked by the snake-hickey, which was just below her elbow on her left arm. "Ah."

Sasuke actually took a step back as the three tomoe on Sakura's arm were suddenly surrounded by a series of black marks which slowly spread along Sakura's skin. Sakura's head was hanging down, and she whimpered in pain as it happened.

When Sakura's head snapped back up, Sasuke was a little put off by her expression.

"You were looking at Ino, weren't you, Sasuke?" said Sakura, her voice gaining a sing-song quality to it. "You mustn't Sasuke. Only look at me."

Sasuke was about to quip back "why would I look at Ino?" but stopped himself. There was something creepy about Sakura's whole manner right now. Her expression and the look in her eyes were saying something. What that something was belonged in the category of Dreadful Mutterings.

Sakura moved then, moving at an extremely high rate of speed especially for her. The nails on that left hand seeming to morph into claws.

Sasuke blinked as he couldn't tell much else about Sakura as she was running towards the stairs.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he realized she wasn't attacking HIM, she was heading straight for Ino.

"All right, that's quite enough Sakura," said Kakashi, snagging the back of Sakura's shirt as she ran up the stairs. He casually blocked her clawstrike as she snarled and twisted and tried to deal with this latest obstacle. "Besides, I can tell you're going to deplete your chakra reserves right about -"

Sakura twitched and collapsed.

"-now," finished Kakashi.

"Sakura Haruno is unable to fight due to chakra exhaustion," said Hayate Gekko. "Winner Sasuke Uchiha."

"Damn it, I wanted to fight," grumbled Sasuke as he made his way to the stairs. He was just saying, he wanted to cut loose.

The display blinked and seemed to be going a bit slower this time, but eventually the display stopped.

[Neji Hyuga]  
[vs.]  
[Hinata Hyuga]

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

yeah, we're getting into off-canon matchups for the most part.

however, i'm also going with the idea that the matchups were NOT random in at least two cases. Hinata vs Neji being one of them.

And yes, due to the Curse Seal, Inner Sakura is now Yandere Sakura.

While i've been planning to use Yandere Sakura for some time, i should point out that Majin Hentai X DID use Yandere Sakura before i did in his Naruto:Game Of The Year Edition story. Check it out, even if he DIDN'T use that scene i wrote for him. (grumble grumble gripe) ^_^ 


	15. Chapter 15:Preliminaries 2

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 15: Test 3, Preliminaries 2

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The opinions expressed by characters are not necessarily, and in some cases certainly are NOT, the opinions of this author. Who would also like to point out that if he DID own Naruto, there would have been at least one mostly-comic relief date episode with Naruto trying to get to know Hinata after the Confession episode. With half the Rookie Nine spying on it, and the other half trying to sabotage it or make it work. (sigh)

* * *

Neji strode down, looking angry and brooding.

Hinata limped down, looking wasted and bedraggled.

"Begin," said Hayate once the two were in place.

"I will only say this once," said Neji. "Withdraw."

"Okay," said Hinata.

"You are too kind-hearted, too polite, to be a proper ninja," continued Neji. "You will lose, and I cannot be held responsible for what happens here."

"Right," agreed Hinata.

"You are looking to the side and waving at your friends, which indicates..." Neji stopped and frowned as he went over the last few statements. "What?"

"You forfeit?" asked Hayate.

"Yes, I can barely stand and I just was able to get out of the hospital," admitted Hinata. "I needed help just to get here from the hospital. I'm nowhere near ready to face Neji-oniisan."

Neji's gaze actually darkened. "So you admit that you are a failure and a blot upon the main house?"

"HEY! KNOCK IT OFF, YA JERK!" yelled Naruto from the stands. "She already forfeited. Hey, Hinata! We saved you a seat here!"

"..." Neji grumbled something indistinct under his breath.

"Winner - Neji Hyuga," announced Hayate, who then regarded Neji directly. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who managed to get through the second and preliminary-third rounds of the exam without ever having to hit anything."

Neji turned abruptly and went stalking off to his exit.

Hinata was already taking a seat next to Naruto, blushing and looking down at her knees with a smile. She had lost, so why did she feel as if she had won?

* * *

The names flipped along the display.

[Rock Lee]  
[vs.]  
[Clucky the Battle Chicken]

"Yosh!" said Rock Lee, clutching a fist and thrusting it skyward. "My chance to shine against a powerful opponent!"

Kakashi walked past Guy and slapped the side of the machine.

[Rock Lee]  
[vs.]  
[Kin Tsuchi]

"This'll be over in a minute," said Kin. "No way Creepy Bowlcut there can stand up to me."

* * *

Neji looked over the various genin, examining each as they continued their fights.

They had fought, lost, and were now out of the running for the third part of the Chunin Exams. Yoroi Akado. Zaku Abumi. Sakura Haruno. Hinata Hyuga.

They had also fought, won, and so were out of the preliminaries. These though would be showing up later when the third part of the Chunin Exams began in earnest. These were the ones he would have to face later, and so he would have to memorize details for that eventuality. Manabu Akado, who utilized fuuinjutsu-inscribed cards to unleash special jutsu. Ino Yamanaka, who seemed to be able to anticipate moves but was otherwise an unremarkable kunoichi. Sasuke Uchiha, the last member of the prestigious Uchiha clan with its Sharingan.

Then, of course, there was himself.

That left the three from the Sand Village, a scattering of Konoha genin, two Sound Village genin, and two others from minor and inconsequential villages.

Neji shook his head. Observe your opponent, plan, attack. All the more experienced genin were using this opportunity to observe their future opponents and strategize.

* * *

Rock Lee beckoned to his opponent. "Let our battle fan the fires of our youth!"

Kin Tsuchi frowned and drew her senbon. "What?"

"I said 'Let the battle fan the fires of our youth'," repeated Rock Lee a little louder.

"Are you coming on to me?" asked Kin, almost sneering at the youth.

That loud blonde kid in the stands called out. "Hey! What he's saying is he wants this to be a fight where you both show off how awesome you are!"

"Oh," said Kin, considering that and calming down as a result. "Okay."

"YOSH!" said Rock Lee, settling into a basic taijutsu stance.

"A taijutsu expert, eh?" asked Kin, drawing a second set of senbon with her other hands. "Well, I'm sorry you won't get a chance to show off your 'youth' or whatever you want to call it."

The bells on the ends of the needles tinkled as they shot past where Lee had been standing.

Rock came to a stop a few yards away. "And why is that?"

"Because you're going to fall before MY techniques," answered Kin, throwing another set of senbon.

"Great!" answered Rock Lee, abruptly changing direction and plucking several senbon from the air and throwing them back at her. "Let our struggle show the full fires of our youth!"

"Are you SURE you're not coming on to me?" asked Kin after dodging her OWN senbon.

"If I cannot defeat you, I will do 1000 squats as punishment," said Rock Lee, brandishing a fist in a pose of righteous declaration. "I shall run around Konoha 100 times!"

"If I cannot defeat YOU, I'll date you," said Kin.

"Eh?" asked Rock Lee, thrown a little off balance by the declaration.

As THAT had left him open, Kin drew more senbon - these poisoned. She pressed the perceived advantage as a ruthless ninja should. "In fact, if you win, I'll be your girlfriend."

"You what? Girlfriend?" asked Rock Lee.

"Not that you have any chance of winning, sure, I'll not only be your girlfriend - I'll show you 'fires of youth' like you've never seen," said Kin, following it with an under her breath. "Hah. As if."

"Oh... but..." Rock Lee glanced towards the medic area where Sakura had vanished.

"An opening!" declared Kin, throwing senbon, and readying her vertigo technique by closing her eyes and going through her hand-seals.

_KA-THWAM!_

Rock Lee landed on the other side of his opponent, then turned and scratched his head. "I am sorry... but I am a bit conflicted about..."

"Winner - Rock Lee!" announced Hayate.

"WHAT?" asked Lee, who now saw that his casual kick-in-passing had flattened his opponent.

"What?" asked Dosu in the stands, covering his face with one hand.

Tenten merely fell off of her chair laughing.

Neji blinked and shook his head.

"Okay..." said Naruto to Hinata and Ino. "THAT I didn't see coming."

Kabuto frowned and wondered why the plan was twisting around like a snake in his grasp.

The medics quickly took Kin away on a stretcher, while a VERY conflicted Rock Lee went up the stairs.

The names began flashing across the board before he'd gotten past the second step.

[Kankuro]  
[vs.]  
[Abakunai the Ninja Mouse]

"No freaking way!" said Kankuro, holding his hands up in an "X" gesture. "Nobody beats Abakunai the Ninja Mouse! If you think you've won against him - it's because he planned it that way! And isn't he at least jonin level?"

Temari facepalmed.

Gaara nodded, silently agreeing with his brother for once.

"Yeah! You got it!" said Naruto, giving Kankuro a thumb's up. "I been watching some of his adventures!"

"My favorite was the Great Cheese War arc," said Kankuro.

"I haven't seen that one yet," admitted Naruto.

"Would you two give it a rest," complained Temari quite loudly. "The board's been messing up all day!"

Kakashi rapped the display. A crack appeared but the names started flickering again.

[Gaara]  
[vs]  
[Dosu]

* * *

Temari hissed at Gaara as the names came up. "Remember the plan!"

Gaara nodded ever so slightly at that, then disappeared in a swirl of sand to reappear on the floor of the arena.

As the bandaged opponent walked to his own side of the arena, Gaara briefly wondered if the Sound ninja was supposed to portray a turtle with the way that straw raincloak billowed out dome-shaped on his back.

"What's faster?" asked Dosu. "Your sand, or my sound?"

* * *

Dosu Kinuta knew that Sand was an ally in their invasion of Leaf. He didn't really care though.

Orochimaru was apparently dead, though with that particular individual - there was always the chance he'd staged it and was now poking around behind the scenes.

Still, with both members of his team having been defeated - he had to win this bout or face his team being eliminated.

Time for his Melody Arm to play.

Especially after this boy tried to do something, but apparently his jutsu destabilized. Just a rank amateur then.

* * *

"That's it, it's over," opined Shikamaru as he walked slowly back to the section his fellow Leaf were in, noting as a puff of sand went out from the redhead to coat everything on the arena floor.

"Eh?" asked Tenten from nearby. "What do you mean?"

"If Shikamaru says it's over, it's over," said Choji, opening a bag of pork rinds.

"I don't get it," said Tenten, turning towards Neji.

Neji dropped his Byakugan. "The peasant is right."

Shikamaru gave Neji a dirty look but otherwise didn't comment. Maybe because of the effort.

"I still don't see," said Tenten.

Dosu used one finger to ping the large bracer on his right forearm. Dosu then frowned as whatever he'd expected to happen did not.

"Sand Coffin," said Gaara simply as the sand covering the arena floor abruptly slithered to surround the Sound Ninja.

Hayate waited for a few moments as there were signs of the Sound nin struggling within his shroud. When nothing else happened though, he just shrugged and announced it.

"Winner - Gaara."

"Hmph," said Gaara, releasing his technique and turning to walk back up.

He didn't notice Dosu charging up behind him until he heard the crowd. Then he merely held up a fist and closed it.

A tendril of sand whipped off his body and smacked Dosu in the head hard enough to flip the Sound nin head over heels.

Then Gaara just went back to his seat to wait for the next match.

* * *

[Tenten]  
[vs.]  
[Kankuro]

"Try not to flirt with this one," called out Temari as her brother went down to the floor.

"You're not going to do that 'fires of youth' thing that kid in green you've been hanging with did, are you?" asked Kankuro.

"Sweet kami, no," admitted Tenten. "I have to deal with that on a daily basis. So what's your specialty?"

"Why?" asked Kankuro.

"Just wondering if you were cute under that makeup," said Tenten, wondering if that sort of thing would put this guy off balance as it had put Rock Lee off balance.

Kankuro missed a step and crashed to the ground, landing on his face.

"Uhm, sorry," said Tenten, surprised at the effectiveness of the tactic.

"You're just a kid," said Kankuro as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Don't even start on me."

"I'm fourteen!" protested Tenten.

"Oh," said Kankuro, going into a 'ready' stance. "Well, you're so flatchested I thought you were younger."

There was a gasp from several members of the audience.

"Oh?" said Tenten, sounding a bit more miffed.

"And what's with the hair? Kinda looks like panda ears from this angle," stated Kankuro.

"That the best you can do for the pre-battle banter?" asked Tenten.

Kankuro grinned, rotating his head a little. "Well, at least I lucked out this time. Not only fighting a woman, but a weak one."

Dead silence followed that declaration.

"If you're done digging your grave," said Hayate, "can we begin?"

"Whenever you're ready," said Kankuro, certain the girl he was facing would be too angry to think straight.

"Begin!" said Hayate, leaping back.

* * *

Tenten looked over the boy. The outfit reminded her of the sort of thing puppet players worked with. So did the makeup for that matter. So that thing on his back was likely a puppet.

"Okay, let's do this," said Tenten, running to the side and beginning by throwing kunai.

"Anytime you're ready," said Kankuro, dodging with unusual fluidity.

"First," said Tenten, flipping a scroll into the air, then making a pass over it.

Kankuro was charging forward when he was hit by three shuriken, eight kunai, and a bologna sandwich.

"Wha?" asked Kankuro, stopping and looking down at the odd weapon. "Not taking me seriously?"

"Eh, sorry, that was lunch," said Tenten, rubbing the back of her head and looking embarassed. "I forgot I sealed that in there."

"What is it with you Leaf nin?" asked Kankuro. "A sandwich?"

"Hey, all we could find was giant leeches and bugs to eat for the past week," said Tenten. "That Forest Of Death, remember?"

"If you two are done?" asked Hayate from the side.

"Well, I'll defeat you quickly so that you can go find another lunch then," said Kankuro. "Poison gas cloud!"

Seeing purple vapors pouring out of the Sand-nin's mouth, Tenten responded in what she regarded as an appropriate manner. Which involved throwing several kunai with explosive tags into the cloud.

When the cloud cleared, mainly by being blown apart, Kankuro was on the ground groaning.

"Just so you don't get up and use that," said Tenten, throwing an axe into the puppet on the boy's back. When blood spurted up, Tenten's eyes widened. "oops."

"Winner - Tenten. Medical team!"

* * *

Neji sneered as his team-mate accompanied the fallen Sand nin. Okay, she hadn't meant to be quite that vicious, he understood that. Still, she was missing valuable intel by not being here.

The board went through its little electronic ritual, this time without any false results.

[Naruto Uzumaki]  
[vs]  
[Kiba Inuzuka]

"All right, Akamaru," called out Kiba. "We got an easy one right off the bat!"

Many of the assembled genin, a few jonin, and Akamaru all stared at Kiba.

"Troublesome," said Shikmaru.

"Naruto?" asked Sasuke, turning towards his team-mate.

"Yeah?" asked Naruto.

"Go easy on him, he's just a dumb mutt," said Sasuke.

"Hey! Akamaru's not dumb!" responded Kiba.

"I wasn't referring to your dog," said Sasuke.

"Arf," said Akamaru, tail drooping.

"I don't want to hurt you, Kiba," said Naruto as he made his way down to the center. "OR AKamaru for that matter."

"That's good, cause you won't," bragged Kiba. "It's too bad I got to beat you up in front of Hinata."

"Actually, she fell asleep right after her match," said Naruto. "I think she's still unconscious."

"Huh?" asked Kiba. "Oh. Well, I guess she WAS involved in that fight a lot."

"Arf," said Akamaru.

"Sure, Akamaru. I'll try," said Naruto.

"Don't act like you understand him," scolded Kiba.

"You two need more time for the pre-battle banter?" asked Hayate. "Cause I'm going to start the match whether you're ready or not."

"Do you mind if I try out a new attack?" Naruto asked Kiba. "I saw it in a dream, and I think I figured out how to do it."

"Does it involve widespread destruction, fires hot enough to melt rock, or massive craters?" asked Hayate from the side.

"Not unless I completely screw it up," said Naruto.

"Then you probably ought to hold off on it until you've got it practiced," advised Hayate. "What's it called?"

"Houyokutenshou," answered Naruto.

"'Rise Of The Phoenix Wings'?" asked Kiba. "Awfully fancy for a dead last failure. What Hinata sees in you, I have no idea."

"Begin," said Hayate, blurring as he got WAY out of the way for this.

"You ready, Akamaru?" asked Naruto.

"I won't need Akamaru for this," said Kiba, rushing forward and ready to pound Naruto into the next century.

"Burn Knuckle!" called out Naruto, surrounding his fists with fire.

* * *

"Mmf?" asked Hinata, rubbing her eyes and then realizing that she had fallen asleep and her head was resting on Naruto's jacket?

"Naruto is fighting Kiba," said Shino.

"Oh," said Hinata, thinking about that. She wanted to root for Naruto, but Kiba was her teammate.

"Just pretend you're asleep," advised Shino. "I believe Nara would suggest it is the 'least troublesome' option."

"Ah," said Hinata, who decided that was right. Well, she was tired still anyway. After a few seconds she was no longer faking being asleep.

Shino merely nodded at that before returning his attention to the fight. Which was pretty much what he'd expected. Kiba was in better shape than Naruto, but as long as neither was trying to outright kill the other - Naruto's wind and fire were going to be problematic for Kiba to overcome unless Naruto had completely exhausted his chakra the way Hinata had.

This 'Houyokutenshou' attack on the other hand, sounded... quite troublesome if he had figured out what it was based on the name. If he faced Naruto later on in a match, that could be something he'd have to watch out for.

* * *

Kiba hit Naruto three times more often than Naruto hit him. Each hit to Naruto was enough to send him a couple of feet backwards.

"Okay, Akamaru, I think we're going to have to go together to bring him down," said Kiba, throwing the burned remains of his jacket aside.

Akamaru made a noise that sounded very uncertain.

Naruto got back up, shaking his head. "You know, I'm really not in good shape after all that stuff in the forest. I think I may have to use this..."

"Now, Akamaru!" called out Kiba, realizing that whatever Naruto was getting ready to unload - would probably involve fire and explosions. Probably both at the same time. That and Naruto refusing to stay down were making this fight a lot tougher than he'd originally thought.

Abruptly there were thirty Naruto charging Kiba.

"Hah! Just some bunshin!" said Kiba, leaping up and kicking one in the head.

_BOOM!_

Kiba slid back into the wall, looking a little more singed. In fact he quickly determined that most of one of his ninja sandals was simply gone and the remainder was smouldering. "Wha-"

"Fire clones!" said one of the Naruto, explaining not only to Kiba but anyone else in the audience who'd somehow missed that. "When they're disrupted, they blow up in a little fireball. Figured they tended to do that anyway. So, let's get him!"

Kiba looked around at the twenty-nine remaining Naruto charging him.

* * *

Tenten sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Neji, his pale eyes flicking towards Tenten and then away. "Something wrong with your opponent?"

"No, he's okay," said Tenten. "I was hoping to see something when Naruto fought."

"Oh?" asked Neji. Any further information he could get on an opponent was usually good, though he doubted that the Academy deadlast could pull many surprises off on him.

"He has a weapon," said Tenten, pausing as she wondered how much to say.

"Ah," said Neji, accepting that. Tenten WAS fond of weapons. Well, when you lacked an innate ability like the Byakugan or the supreme martial art of the Jyuuken, one had to make allowances. "It doesn't matter."

Tenten nodded. She wanted to see it again though. Just to be sure. She'd found a better illustration to compare it to.

* * *

There was an explosion as another Naruto closed with Kiba.

"That's not enough," yelled Kiba as he leapt out of the smoke cloud.

His eyes got very big as he realized there were SIX Naruto jumping on him. He lashed out at another. It vanished in a smokepuff like a normal shadow clone. "HAH! You were bluffing!"

The next one blew up as soon as Kiba's fist hit it.

Kiba staggered back, feeling a bit singed and woozy. Another Naruto came close, he struck out at that one too.

This Naruto exploded as well.

Kiba staggered to the side, then realized he was in arm's reach of another Naruto. Who was smiling and waving at him. And then exploded.

Kiba landed on the ground, groaning, and opened his eyes to see ANOTHER six Naruto about to land on him.

Akamaru whined and limped to a position where he could defend Kiba, looking a bit worse-for-wear himself.

"Oh HELL," said Kiba, closing his eyes. "Forfeit!"

* * *

[Choji Akimichi]  
[vs]  
[Temari]

"I'm not happy about this," declared Choji as he got down to the arena floor.

"I'm sure," said Temari. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick."

"Oh good," said Choji, perking up slightly at that.

"If you're really not wanting to take the test, why are you, anyway?" asked Temari.

"Because if I make chunin, I can get away from Ino," said Choji. "She likes to nag."

_BONK!_

"Ow," said Choji, clutching his head after a water bottle bounced off it.

"Begin," said Hayate.

* * *

"I'm so glad neither of you got hurt," said Hinata, who then yawned. Then looked very embarassed for having done something so beneath the Hyuga dignity when people were watching.

"Kiba's off being looked at it in medical, and apparently going for a new set of clothes," noted Naruto. "I tried not to hurt either of them, but it's kinda hard to avoid it when we're all throwing ninjutsu around like that."

"Sasuke, Naruto, you're needed in medical," said a medic who just appeared in a puff of chakra smoke.

"Eh?" asked Naruto. "I didn't hurt him that bad, did I?"

"Sakura's cursemark is running out of control," said the medic as reply.

Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Kakashi ran for the doorway, followed a moment later by Ino.

* * *

"Bullet Tank!"

"Sickle Weasel!"

Temari leapt back as the human bowling ball continued moving past her with only minor cuts along his torso. He was too massive for her to encircle with a wind gust and lift skyward, and there seemed to be some minor armoring of his body when he inflated like that.

However, he clearly couldn't see her - which made for lousy aim.

Which left this a tiresome fight where she'd end up repeatedly cutting into him and dodging.

Well, at least she hadn't had to go against that Naruto kid. Wind against fire was usually a problem, and since he could scare SHUKAKU! No, tiresome this might be but it was still better than facing that one.

* * *

"So the cursemark is poisoning her?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah," said Crazy Snake Lady. "That's what they do. Most people who get one of those die from the chakra poisoning. Those that survive either go nuts or worse."

"Chakra..." said Naruto. "Hinata? Can you use your Byakugan?"

"Briefly," said Hinata. "My chakra is too low to keep it on for very long."

"What are you planning?" asked Sasuke.

"Who me?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, you," responded Sasuke.

"That fighting style of yours, you turn off chakra flow with it, right?" Naruto asked Hinata.

Hinata's eyes widened.

"So if you hit the area around the cursemark, wouldn't that slow down the poison?" asked Naruto.

The doctor shook his head as various ninja looked his way. "Not that easy. It would slow it down, but it's actually drawing chakra into itself. She would simply last an hour or two more."

"Byakugan," tried Hinata, bringing up the technique with what remained of her reserves, consciously willing Naruto to see for himself.

Suddenly she felt his presence flooding into her, and through the link Ino.

Both doctor and Anko took a step back when all three children spoke at the same time.

"I think/see we/I/they can do this."

"Contact my father," added Ino.

"Let the Hokage know," said Naruto.

"We can do this," said Hinata, her voice full of wonder and something else.

* * *

Inoichi came as soon as he could, to find several doctors standing around looking nervous. Sakura Haruno was laid out on a blanket on the floor, her head on a pillow, and looking half-dead.

His daughter was seated in lotus position. Ino's head was bowed and her eyes closed in concentration. Inoichi noted that she was sweating heavily.

Sitting in an identical position to Sakura's side and holding his daughter's right hand was Naruto Uzumaki, who also was surrounded by a red-gold aura.

Holding Naruto's other hand, their hands linked over Sakura's body, was Hinata seated directly opposite Naruto on the other side of Sakura. Her Byakugan was going, but there were flecks of yellow-gold in Hinata's eyes.

"Someone want to explain this?" asked Inoichi carefully.

"Naruto is linking with Hinata and Ino," said Anko. "They're trying to attack Sakura's curse seal from another angle."

Inoichi noticed the way Anko's hand came up to her neck in an unconscious gesture, but the major part of his attention was on the four kids.

* * *

OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE:  
What could have happened:

[Gaara]  
[vs.]  
[Tora]

The Hokage frowned and prepared to gesture at Kakashi to hit the dang box again.

"Hssssssssssssssst!"

Everyone in the arena blinked as a cat hopped down onto the floor of the arena.

"Tora?" asked a large number of genin.

"Should we start?" asked Hayate, though his voice cracked on the first part and he started another coughing fit immediately thereafter.

"Sand coffin!" attacked Gaara, who simply took the opportunity he was handed.

Sand wrapped around the cat, which made a startled squeak. There was a crunching noise.

"He killed Tora?" asked a fair number of Konoha genin.

"Winner - Gaara?" asked Hayate, who then started coughing again.

Suddenly Gaara found himself surrounded by Konoha genin who were... shaking his hand? Congratulating him? One kunoichi going so far as to kiss him on the cheek?

Gaara blinked as the sudden celebratory atmosphere was broken up by some of the proctors and he was just left standing there with an odd lingering warm sensation where he'd gotten kissed and feeling... oddly confused. He made his way slowly back up the stairs as he tried to sort out the unfamiliar feelings.

"Gaara? Gaara? Gaara!"

Gaara blinked and realized that his brother was staring at him in fear (not unusual) and his sister was looking concerned. "What?"

"Are you okay, Gaara? You look..." Temari's voice trailed off.

Gaara's hand drifted up to that cheek and he glanced towards that one kunoichi, the one with her hair up in a double-bun arrangement. "I... think I like this village. Must we destroy-"

Temari realized she'd just covered Gaara's mouth and noted the look of irritation on her brother's face. Naturally, she whipped her hand away and then looked around. Just that sleeping genin from Leaf. "Gaara, remember the Plan."

Gaara let out a deep breath and shook his head.

"Come on," said Temari, indicating that they should go to a less public place for the rest of this conversation.

After they'd left, Shikamaru peeled one eye open and frowned before seeming to go back to sleep.

* * *

"You kissed a Sand nin," said Neji with a certain amount of contempt in his voice.

"Do you have any idea how much I wanted to see that little beast dead?" asked Tenten.

"About the third time we had a 'retrieve cat' mission," said Neji.

"Maybe I got swept up in the moment," admitted Tenten.

Neji considered for a few moments, then nodded. "An interesting strategy. If you face him later on, he may be reluctant to strike with killing force."

Tenten was about to protest, realized that might be true, then just shrugged and sank back onto her seat. Whatever worked, right?


	16. Chapter 16: Souldive

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 16: Souldive

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka had the most training in anything like this, and the greatest knowledge of the theories involved. She was in charge.

Hinata provided brief flashes of her Byakugan showing the chakra pathways, being able to see and interpret what she was seeing and feeding to the other two.

Naruto was a feeling of heat and power, providing the link.

The image that Ino formed was simple enough. She formed herself, though perhaps a little tweaked here and there, riding a hawk of flame as soared along the roadmap that Hinata had provided.

_Here?_ sent Hinata.

_There,_ agreed Ino, directing Naruto.

Golden flame danced along the path, finding the dark stains and purging them.

The bird circled once, looking over its handiwork for signs of anything missed.

Another pulse as Hinata updated the "map" and then shut off again to preserve chakra. Then the wings were spread and the hawk moved to another section where black infection could be seared away.

* * *

"Winner - Temari," said Hayate.

"Oh well," said Choji, laying on the ground and considering the ceiling. "Nobody can say I didn't try."

Temari stopped limping up the stairs to look back at her fallen opponent. Then merely nodded at Choji before going the rest of the way to where her youngest brother was.

* * *

Kabuto tapped his fingers against the railing as he thought about things. Technically he was still in Sasori's employ, and going back to the Akatsuki member was his most obvious option. It wasn't his most pleasing option however.

Sasori was a puppet master, and not simply the sort of puppets manipulated through chakra strings. He had also a spy network and had double-agents who had no idea that they WERE double agents. Some of his spies had no idea that they were even doing it when they wrote down reports and sent them to drop houses.

Lying to Sasori was therefore risky. Sasori's spy network was extensive enough that many lies could be found. If Sasori suspected someone was deliberately giving him false information, well, that would not end at all pleasantly for that someone.

Still, he was here and he could gather more information on the various genin and proctors to some extent.

Still, he could decide that afterwards. Konoha could still fall, and with its fall would offer up all sorts of things he could make use of. Just the repercussions from one of the Hidden Villages falling would make Akatsuki all the more valuable as the others scrambled for position.

Besides, it might just be fun.

* * *

[Shikamaru Nara]  
[vs]  
[Shino Aburame]

"Troublesome," summed up Shikamaru.

"Indeed," said Shino as he passed Shikamaru. "If it's too troublesome, then I will understand if you wish to withdraw."

"No, that'd be less troublesome now, but more troublesome later," sighed Shikamaru.

Shino simply continued onwards without a glance back.

Shikamaru sighed again as he slowly got up and followed.

* * *

Naruto's wings shifted subtly as the firebird adjusted his flight. "What are these spheres?"

"Memories, mindscapes," said Ino as she peered around her. "It looks a bit different from how Dad explains it - but that might be because of you."

Hinata faded into position behind Ino. "The lines are chakra paths."

"There's another corrupted spot," said Ino, pointing.

Naruto's wings shifted and they dove towards the darkening sphere.

* * *

"Ino? Have you seen Sasuke?"

The blonde child frowned, but not at her best friend. "No. This is the third day he's missed. If I knew where he lived, I'd try to visit him."

"Visit him? Why?"

"I've been keeping notes on what he's missed in class, I'd just share it with him," said Ino with an easy smile. "If he's been sick, I can bring flowers."

"I- I- tried asking Mizuki-sensei if Sasuke was sick, but he just told me it wasn't my business."

"Huh, I wonder if it's clan business," mused Ino aloud. "You're not from a ninja clan, Sakura, so you don't have to go through that. Like a few weeks ago when I was gone for three days because I got one of the Yamanaka techniques a little bit wrong."

"Yeah, I remember that. Are you able to talk about it yet?"

"The Mind-Body Switch technique is powerful but if your opponent moves, you kinda get stuck outside your body," said Ino, lowering her voice and moving closer to Sakura to maintain some confidentiality. "It's a real pain, but Dad says that now that I've done it once - I'll be able to recover better."

"Oh, well, that's good I suppose."

"Well, here's Mizuki-sensei, so let's see what he's got going today. Hopefully it won't be as BORING as the last one. How anyone can make the First Shinobi War boring..."

* * *

Anko watched as the three continued whatever they were doing. To say she was interested was a severe bit of understatement. That damn cursemark had been giving her enough pain and problem for long enough. If they could remove it from Pinkette there.

"So, how are they doing?" asked someone Anko didn't immediately know.

"This area's restricted guy," said Anko. "Buzz off."

"I have a certain interest in these doings," said the unknown.

Anko looked over the guy when a few details clicked together. "Jiraiya the Toad Sage?"

"Yes, you're Anko Mitarashi, right? I think I put a secondary seal on that snake-hickey you got," said Jiraiya before he swayed out of the way of a kunai strike.

"WHAT interest?" asked Anko.

"I couldn't destroy Orochimaru's seal," pointed out Jiraiya. "Then again, I was working with seal techniques from the outside."

"So, professional interest?" asked Anko.

"Yeah, why were you upset?" asked Jiraiya.

"I thought it might be to peep on the girl," said Anko. "Your reputation proceeds you."

"Oh, please, she's what - twelve?" asked Jiraiya. "You're confusing me with Orochimaru, all my perversions are strictly directed towards those who have not only passed puberty but have gone on to at least some level of full maturity."

"I've also heard you only go after peeping on women like Tsunade who can kick your ass," said Anko.

"Well... mostly..." admitted Jiraiya. "Though that's not completely true."

"Put a sock in it, old guy," said Anko, turning her attention back to the kids. "Lots of ninja have suicidal or depressive tendencies. Get over it and go on to the next job."

"Yeesh, you're no fun, not at all what your reputation is like," grumped Jiraiya.

"You're one to talk," pointed out Anko.

"All three of them were exhausted or nearly so," said Jiraiya after a few minutes of silence. "Even if they succeed, it'll be awhile before they're ready to try it on you."

"I know," said Anko. "But there's a month between the prelims and the third part of the exam."

Jiraiya nodded, acknowledging the point. All things considered, he was expecting Anko to be keeping a close eye on Minato's kid.

* * *

Naruto had fallen just before the fog had billowed up. Hinata was out there somewhere.

_Heck, the only one I know the location of, besides me, is Tazuna._ Sakura shifted her body, trying to look in all directions at once without benefit of the Byakugan.

Metal clanged against metal, to the right, but where?

Was that Sasuke's voice grunting in pain?

"Got you!" That was... what was going on out there?

Then the fog started clearing abruptly, becoming more and more transparent and everything was getting soaked from it.

Sakura's eyes flicked from Hinata standing guard over Naruto, Kakashi engaged in a struggle with that guy with the big sword, and... there - Sasuke!

Sasuke charged some boy, the boy threw up mirrors all around them, and their fight began in earnest.

* * *

"That was interesting," said Ino as they exited that memory. "Did that really happen?"

"Yes," said Hinata. It was a precious memory of her own.

"It looks like the memories that are being affected aren't specifically targetted," mused Ino. "I wonder if this is because you killed tall dark and creepy."

"M-maybe," said Hinata. It was her first kill after all. Even if she'd do it again in a heartbeat to save Naruto-kun, it was still something that caused her stomach to clench when she thought about that angle.

* * *

"Sakura-chan? How about we go out for lunch?"

_WHAM!_ "No!"

"A snack after school?"

_WHACKUM!_ "Go away, Naruto!"

"maybe meet me at the infirmary later?"

_CRASH!_ "What part of 'no never not in a million years absolutely not' do you NOT understand?"

"Okay," said Ino. "This memory must be corrupted."

"Uhm, no this is how it went down," said Naruto, looking down at the flattened chibi-Naruto.

"Yes," said Hinata. "I wanted to help you to the infirmary that day..."

"No way, she was that bad?" asked Ino. "I don't remember it."

"You were kind of obsessed with Sasuke at the time," pointed out Hinata.

"Well, yeah, he's Sasuke," said Ino. "Oh I get it. I was hanging on Sasuke so you asking her out in front of Sasuke must have really annoyed her. Still, that was a bit overdone."

"'A bit'?" asked Hinata.

"She picked up a desk and hit me with it," pointed out Naruto.

"In her defense, she had done it before and you were okay the next day," said Ino.

"There's the taint," said Naruto, trying to change the topic of conversation.

"Why have I got HORNS?" demanded Ino as she saw Sasuke trying to go to Sakura, only to be held back by an Evil Ino.

"Let me try this," said Naruto. "Houyo-kutenshou!"

Ino blinked at the attack as it went by and incinerated her evil twin. In fact, the attack seemed to be a spiral of wind and flame that picked up her evil twin, sliced her into fillets and then charbroiled what was left. "Uhm. If we face each other in the finals, can you NOT use that attack?"

"Who are you?" said someone, moving out of the shadows of the Academy and looking at the three intruders.

* * *

Neji Hyuga frowned. Apparently the whole "Yamanaka prodigy" thing and the concept of Hinata getting some talent wasn't completely ludicrous.

He'd used the Byakugan and discovered Inoichi Yamanaka with his daughter Ino, Hinata, Naruto, and a number of jonin and special jonin apparently using some Yamanaka technique to try and cure that pink haired girl who'd gone psycho.

Neji frowned at that, observing and filing data away. He'd go over such observations later with more time involved, especially as he'd have to face either Ino Yamanaka or Naruto Uzumaki in the finals. The Yamanaka girl, like Hinata, seemed to have gotten stronger in her association with the other blonde loudmouth.

Which led him to consider the fire and mind technique brash youth. From what he'd heard, the Haruno girl had publically berated or beaten him on numerous occasions and literally tried to assassinate her own team member recently. Now Naruto was apparently trying to save the life of that same member.

Neji didn't understand why Naruto was doing that at all.

Other than pure foolishness, that is.

* * *

Tenten glanced at Neji. She'd tried to warn him without trotting out the actual name. She hadn't heard the Hokage proclaim it all an S-Class secret - but considering the potential repercussions - she understood it was as good as sealed.

If Naruto pulled out Dragonstongue in a fight with her, there were two reactions she'd have regarding that. One, she was going to inspect it VERY carefully. Two, if it WAS what she suspected, she would have to forfeit. Not before they both got to show off some techniques, or at least she hoped it would go that way.

If she killed him, that would be very very bad. If he killed her, she wouldn't care for THAT outcome either.

Maybe she could meet him before the fight, if they were scheduled to fight each other, and they could agree to nonlethal or capture techniques? Yeah, that might work.

Still, she'd rather face him than some of the others. That Gaara guy looked like trouble.

* * *

"You're... Sakura?" asked Naruto.

"I don't know any firebirds," mused Sakura as Naruto was still in the form of a bird of flame. "Do I?"

Ino gasped as the figure moved into view. Sakura had obviously been in a fight, and if she hadn't died it still looked close. Beaten, bruised, scarred, burned... It was like that glimpse they'd gotten of Ibiki Morino's head at the end of the first part of the Chunin Exams, except it was Sakura all over.

With her remaining eye, Sakura looked over the others. "Ino? Hinata? You're not the ones I remember from this time."

"We're from outside, the real ones," answered Ino. "Sakura, what happened to you?"

"You're inside my head? One of the Yamanaka secret techniques?" asked Sakura, proving her head was still functioning despite the damage. "You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous."

Naruto shifted finally, figuring out how to go from bird-of-fire to human in this mindscape.

"Well, yeah, Fore- Sakura," said Ino, wincing as she went to less competitive terms.

"Well, well, well," said another voice.

The air shimmered and another Sakura stepped forward. Wearing leather, tight and black and shiny. With spikes.

"Well, at least we can tell 'em apart," said Naruto, looking at the bright side of the situation.

"Found you," said Yandere Sakura. "Now no one will get between me and my Sasuke."

* * *

Jiraiya observed. He'd met Naruto twice before now. Once shortly after his birth. The second time had been after the creation of Lake Kakabaka.

He didn't have a Byakugan or Sharingan to observe the way the chakra moved, but there were other ways of observation that didn't require special eyes. You just had to make do with little trickles of information.

Yes, this DID look quite interesting.

* * *

Her nails and hair had turned black, and now her hair lenghtened into tentacles, some of which shot out to wrap around Ino's neck.

"Why me?" gasped Ino as she tried to pry the hair away from her throat.

Hinata leapt back as Sakura charged forward.

Fire burst and the hair-tentacle was burned through. Naruto turned his attention away from the gasping-for-breath Ino to the fight.

Hinata dodged and wove, while Yandere-Sakura slashed with lengthened black nails as if they were a sword.

"Okay, this is weird," said Naruto, making sure he was between Yandere-Sakura and the emaciated real one.

"That we're in Sakura's mind, protecting the real Sakura from her fake?" asked Ino.

"Yeah, and that she's using lame attacks like that... oh look, now she's doing the shark teeth and elastic neck thing. Didn't I see that in Gegege No Kitaro?"

Ino lightly bopped the Phoenix-carrier in the head. "Aren't you going to help Hinata?"

"I already am," said Naruto. "You too. Didn't you notice?"

"Notice?" asked Ino, looking at Naruto with great skepticism.

"I've been feeding both of you chakra as I go along," said Naruto. "Admittedly, I don't got a lot of it left, but Hinata was worn out. Now look at her."

Yandere-Sakura made a rapid series of thrusts. Hinata danced around the attacks, then slapped her palm into Sakura's extended wrist.

"One palm," said Hinata, then following up by shifting her opponent's body further into the redirected thrust. Her other arm slammed its palm into Yandere-Sakura's shoulder. "Two palms."

Yandere Sakura recovered enough to step around and give a wild swing that cut the air as Hinata ducked under and jabbed out again. Both hands slammed out to hit Yandere-Sakura's chest. "Four palms!"

Yandere-Sakura staggered back and Hinata sent another strike into her opponent's nose. "Five palms!"

Yandere-Sakura wasn't able to recover, staggering back with a bleeding nose as Hinata used the further opening to full advantage.

Ino glanced from Yandere-Sakura to the other and was momentarily surprised as the emaciated and beaten Sakura seemed to be gaining strength as the other version was beaten on.

"I don't think Hinata needs any more help, do you?" asked Naruto, though he was getting a little confused by the feelings that Hinata was sending his way through the link.

The Yandere-Sakura fell to the ground and began disintegrating.

"You three... Get. Out. Of. My. Head," said Sakura as she further solidified. She moved to put herself between them and some doorway which had vague shadowy things in the background.

Ino looked over the refurbished Sakura for a moment then nodded, a smile forming. "Sure thing, Forehead. Better rest."

* * *

Anko's breath caught as there was a loud snapping noise and the cursemark visible on Sakura Haruno's skin suddenly had a clean break bisecting it. The remainder faded bit by bit until it looked more like an old tattoo.

"Yeah, the kid's interesting all right," said Jiraiya from next to her.

* * *

"You will pick a card from the box Hayate is holding, this will determine when and whom you shall fight in one month," said the Hokage.

"Why a month?" asked someone.

"Because many of you are injured, others exhausted, and yet others have to fill out paperwork from their home villages," said Hayate as he let Naruto grab a card from the box before moving on to Sasuke.

"There's also that everyone here has already seen the moves of your opponents," added Anko. "This gives you a chance to hone those moves, develop new ones, and so on. Oh yeah, and the usual final matches are where the village's potential clients get a peek at you maggots. That's where you are representing your villages and basically advertising your services."

Neji drew a card but didn't even bother to look at it. Tenten looked at hers and hoped it didn't mean fighting either of her team-mates.

"Call out your numbers and I'll reveal who your opponent will be for the first round of the third part of the exam," instructed Hayate.

* * *

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

[Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga]

[Ino Yamanaka vs Sasuke Uchiha]

"WHY? WHY DO I HAVE TO FIGHT SASUKE?" demanded Ino.

"Hmph," said Sasuke. "Waste of time."

"Can I trade with someone?" asked Ino.

"No substitutions exchanges or refunds," said Anko.

[Temari vs Manabu Akado]

Manabu adjusted his glasses and gave a thoughtful look at the young kunoichi.

"Why do I feel like something just walked over my grave?" whispered Temari to Kankuro.

Kankuro shrugged. "Not my problem."

"What are you even doing down here, you lost," pointed out Anko, suddenly in front of Kankuro.

"Moral support?" tried Kankuro, wincing as he felt a pulse of soreness from where Tenten's axe had chopped into him. Apparently Konoha's medical teams weren't as skilled as their former reputation had indicated.

[Tenten vs Rock Lee]

"Can I trade with Ino?" asked Tenten. "I'd rather watch those two go at it, and I don't have a problem with beating the pretty boy up."

"Don't make me repeat myself," said Anko.

Shino Aburame adjusted his glasses, not directly looking at his opponent.

Gaara looked back, not revealing any hint of emotion.

* * *

"Hey Pig! Stay out of my head from now on!" called out Sakura.

Hinata blinked and pointed at herself.

"No, not you, the blond pig!" said Sakura.

Naruto scowled.

"She means me," said Ino to her two companions.

"Yeah, Pig, but especially keep NARUTO out of there," said Sakura. "Everyone needs to stay out of my head!"

"Ahem," said an ANBU, who hadn't been there a moment ago.

"Now that you're out of danger and out of the Exams as a participant, someone wants to meet you, Sakura Haruno," said a second ANBU.

"Will you come peacefully, Sakura Haruno?" asked a third ANBU.

Sakura was busy staring at a bunch of ANBU who she was pretty sure hadn't been there a moment ago. "Uhm. Who wants to see me?"

"Ibiki Morino, prior to your meeting with the Hokage," said one of the ANBU.

Sakura considered saying no. Of turning and running. The moment passed. She was quite sure that if she didn't go along with them of her own accord, she WAS going with them despite what she might otherwise feel. She nodded.

* * *

"I'm kinda worried," said Naruto as he watched Sakura being led away.

"Nothing major will happen, she's not recovered enough for interrogation," said Ino confidently.

"You sure about that?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, pretty much," said Ino. "Now I don't know about you guys, but I need a warm bath, good meal, and a decent sleep."

"That sounds good," admitted Hinata.

"Yeah, I haven't been to Ichiraku's in a long time," said Naruto, glancing back at the door Sakura had been led through. "Then back to training I guess..."

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he watched the young genin led off. "She had such a good record in the Academy."

"I'll get to the bottom of it all," said Ibiki, smirking. "So far, test scores to the side, I haven't seen anything to indicate more than youthful foolishness."

"She just had Orochimaru's curse-seal burned off her, and was apparently the first one to strike my former student's real body in that mess," said the Hokage.

"I won't do anything physically taxing," said Ibiki, waving that off. "There's more than enough that can be done with psychological tactics, especially with one that young and inexperienced."

"Ah," said the Hokage, looking out now over the village he was responsible for.

"Of course," appended Ibiki, "if I do find evidence of something deeper and more sinister..."

"I can count on you to follow it up," said the Hokage with a nod.

* * *

Jiraiya put the cards down. "Three of a kind, Jacks."

"I got junk," complained Anko, tossing her cards down.

"Two pair, deuces and treys," said Inoichi.

"You know - you could just take turns training Naruto," noted Kakashi.

"Where's the fun in that?" asked Anko, reshuffling the deck.

"He's got a point though," admitted Jiraiya. "His chakra control still needs work, and I think he's almost ready for the toad summoning contract. Anko here just wants to get him to break her own cursed seal, while Inoichi wants to give him training in basics on controlling the stuff he can do that mimics Yamanaka techniques. It's going to be a busy month. What about you, Kakashi?"

"I'm going to be busy training Sasuke," admitted Kakashi. "Though him fighting Ino isn't going to be a difficult fight, someone's going to be facing some considerable opponents. Especially that Sand genin, Gaara."

"The one who was skipping rope in front of the test center with Konohamaru and his crew?" asked Inoichi.

"Yes, don't underestimate him," said Jiraiya, taking cards and then making a face when he looked them over. "His record seems to indicate a different personality altogether."

"I expect Sakura to end up with punishment duties for trying to accept a personal contract to kill Naruto," said Kakashi. "Not to mention practicing a genjutsu on an Academy student. Or... let's just say that I expect she'll be kept too busy for much training."

* * *

NOTES:  
Yeah, this is mostly just filler as we set things up for the training and preparations to commence prior to the Third Exam. 


	17. Chapter 17: Training Fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 17: Train

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

Kakashi looked over his shoulder at the groups of genin leaving Konoha.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, what now? I mean, we're going to be training for the third part of the Exam, right?" asked Naruto.

"Well, sort of. Actually, I'm going to be training Sasuke. I don't think Ino will pose any sort of credible threat, but there ARE some tough fighters," said Kakashi.

"Hn," indicated Sasuke.

"What?" asked Naruto. "And I'm NOT?"

"You've already got tutors," said Kakashi, counting off. "Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, has agreed to do some training with you. There's also the Yamanaka techniques that Inoichi Yamanaka wants you to practice to better control what you already have."

"Oh," said Naruto. "Speaking of which, how's Sakura?"

"I'm sure she's doing fine," said Kakashi, his voice indicating he wasn't terribly sure himself.

* * *

"So what have we determined about our opponents for the third part of the exams?" asked Temari after an hour's travel on the trip from Leaf back to Sand. There was paperwork to fill out after all. "Mine's that old relic. Fuuinjutsu enscribed in cards. If I can blow those away when he takes them out - it'll be all over but the crying."

"I face... the bug user," said Gaara.

"It'll be a race to see which of you defeats your opponent first," said Kankuro confidently. "Then there's the next round."

"Hard to tell who will win past the initial," said Temari. "Sasuke Uchiha I would expect to defeat that squealing fangirl, except she seemed pretty competent when facing the Sound-nin. The weapons thrower, if she faces me it would be the worst possible matchup for her. The Hyuga would be difficult for me only if I let him get close, and the taijutsu expert - same thing. Neither of them could hit me OR Gaara unless we screw up and they get in range."

"The fire wielder," said Gaara quietly.

"He'll be difficult," admitted Temari. Wind versus fire was usually a poor matchup. "Best way to deal with him would be up close for me. Not give him any range to pull fire or his ranged techniques. Gaara would just have to overwhelm his fire with waves of sand."

"Hmph," said Gaara, frowning.

"Yeah, I don't think it'll be that easy either," said Kankuro.

"Says the guy who got axed in the preliminaries," countered Temari.

"Do YOU think it'll be that easy?" counter-countered Kankuro.

"Honestly?" said Temari, moving closer to the two boys so she could speak much quieter. "If we go with the invasion, Kankuro should try hitting him with poison during the initial confusion."

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Kankuro, likewise going to near-whisper.

"Because what I heard was that Land Of Sound is in an uproar, something about their kage getting ill or something," responded Temari. "We were mainly going with this because we had support from another village, we were backing their play."

"So you think they may pull out?" Kankuro made a face at that thought.

Neither noticed the faint smile briefly appear on Gaara's face. Which would have made them both fairly nervous had they noticed it.

* * *

Manabu Akado finished checking the room, and finished by braiding the blonde hairs he'd collected together. There weren't many, but they might just have to do.

That jutsu - something he'd worked out, used at parties a few times, gotten requests for. It was perfect. Even if he didn't make chunin, using it in front of the Daimyo and other VIPs might just get him some work.

* * *

_Tick_ went the clock.

_Flinch_ went the genin.

Ibiki Morino did not smirk. If anything he looked bored and preoccupied with some paperwork he was reading.

Sakura fidgeted a bit, feeling a bit chilly in the cold room. Was that the smell of blood?

Ibiki tsked slightly and tapped something on the paperwork he was reading.

Sakura fidgeted some more.

_Tick_ went the clock eventually.

_Flinch_ went Sakura.

"Oh my," said Ibiki, glancing from the paperwork to Sakura and then back.

"WHAT?" squeaked Sakura.

"Oh, nothing." said Ibiki, frowning at the paper.

The door opened suddenly.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" squeaked Sakura.

The chunin in the doorway paused to look at her, then apparently dismissed her. "Prisoner Two Forty Two is acting up."

Ibiki frowned heavily, getting up. "Stay here. Have some water. I've got to confirm something."

The door closed behind the two Torture & Interrogation specialists.

_Tick_ went the clock.

_Flinch_ went Sakura, eyeing the folder that the special jonin had left on his side of the table.

* * *

"So which are we going to use? The 'escaping prisoner' gambit?"

"No, she's a genin with very little in the way of skills."

"I'll bet a donut with extra sprinkles she reads the folder in fifteen minutes."

"Huh. She apparently figured out the time dilation genjutsu was up, she just did a standard dispel."

"You suppose Ibiki will do his infamous 'Fancy Tea Party' Interrogation technique?"

"That one's more effective against hardened shinobi and psychopaths. It may not be effective against a twelve-year-old girl."

"She's going for the folder!"

"That soon?"

* * *

Sakura knew a moment or two of horror just from the first page in her file. First, because it WAS her file - Sakura Haruno. Second because of the contents of that first page.

They had... baby pictures!

There was a picture of her as a little girl, crying in front of a futon that had been hung up to let it dry.

This picture? That was her at her third birthday party, passed out with her face smooshing into the cake!

They even had a picture of her at six picking her nose? AGH! What if they showed these to Sasuke? She'd have to move to another village and live under an assumed name!

She went to the next page and her eyes widened at the amount of information crammed onto the page. Her favorite foods, likes, dislikes, favorite sayings, books that she hated and books that she enjoyed. Everything about her reduced to scribbled notes on a page.

The next page was even worse!

* * *

"Is that the genjutsu page?"

"Yeah. Her own mind and memories are filling in the blanks."

"Did she just rip it out of the file and stuff it into her shirt?"

"Look, she's trying the door."

"Someone got the music?"

* * *

Sakura eased the door open slowly, then equally slowly eased herself out of the room. She took a few steps forward.

_!_ went the Nightingale Floor.

"EEEP!" said Sakura.

Several doors down the corridor flew open. Ninja popped out, all wielding instruments of torture. "SHE'S ESCAPING!"

"Yahhhhhhhhhh!" screamed Sakura, running. "I was just looking for a bathroom!"

The weirdest thing about it was the music playing from several speakers, some happy little saxophone tune.

* * *

With the non-Leaf candidates leaving town, mostly to file paperwork and get a couple of missions for their home villages done before returning for the final third of the exam, things seemed to be fairly quiet.

"Lady Hinata must marry a member of the Hyuga clan!"

Neji snorted at that comment coming from one of the clan's older advisors as they walked along the courtyard.

"Perhaps Neji - he's a genius."

"You do remember that his father was Hizashi - Hinata's father's twin brother?"

"Yeah, so?"

Neji found himself twitching at that and forced himself back to the early morning stretches and initial taijutsu forms.

"So, they're closer to being half-siblings than cousins."

"Not a concern. Not nearly so much of a concern as not losing this second-stage Byakugan. In order to increase the chance of it passing on, she must marry a Hyuga."

"True, she did prove that while her everyday performance is uninspiring, she is capable of moments. If only it wasn't while protecting the demon-child."

Neji frowned ever so faintly but didn't otherwise move. As he still had his Byakugan going, he merely read the lips of the two as they continued past his position as he performed these morning exercises. _'Demon-child'?_

"You remember when the demon-child was just a prankster with no intelligence or skill? Now he's apparently a skilled fire-jutsu user who is being trained by the Yamanaka for some reason."

"Neji will put the brat in his place quickly enough."

"Good, that he's apparently getting close to Lady Hinata is intolerable."

Neji considered the two as they continued and were quickly outside the range of divination where he could lip-read with any accuracy.

_Why did they call Uzumaki 'demon-child'?_

* * *

Ino frowned. "I thought the link would have faded by now."

Inoichi favored his daughter with a frown. "You're still getting leakage from Uzumaki?"

"No, Hinata," complained Ino. "Naruto's picking up the control exercises. I can feel him, if I set my mind to it - but his thoughts don't keep popping up in my head."

"What's Hinata doing then?" asked Inoichi, curious.

"Team 8 is already meeting. Apparently Shino Aburame is going to be with his clan getting extra training with their bugs. Hinata and Kiba are going back to D-Rank missions in the meantime, that and training together."

"Any more visions of the future?" asked Inoichi, deciding not to press on the Hinata issue. Another clan being involved made things more complicated.

"Sort of..." said Ino. "Just images that flashed too quickly for me to make sense of them. Though there were several images of this blonde woman I don't know. Oh, and Sakura was being chased around some elaborate maze of tunnels with 'Yakety Sax' being played as background accompaniment."

* * *

Sakura ran in one door, then out the next, then turned around and ducked back in.

The crowd of ninja interrogators brandished saws, picks, needles, branding irons, and a plumber's helper as they chased.

After several minutes of running and hiding amongst the doors, Sakura finally opened the one she was looking for. "A bathroom! I'm saved!"

After she shut the door, the various interrogators shrugged and most went back to their duties.

The flushing noise was followed by water being run and the paper towel dispenser being rattled.

"Ah," said Sakura as she finally exited and found herself surrounded by several of the interrogators. "Oh... bye bye!" _Zipppppppppppp! Zoom!_

"Yeah, after her!" cried the torturers.

Sakura turned a corner, made a quick right, opened a door and jumped in, then found a cabinet she could close.

There was a brief pause.

The door slammed back open. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" screamed Sakura as she tried to beat off grasping tentacles. "BACK! BACK! BACK I SAY!"

Finally she made it outside the room, continuing to smack any tentacles that came near her, only to find a ninja holding a suction cup on the end of a large wooden shaft waiting for her. "I... don't want to know what you're going to do with that, do I?"

The torturer looked thoughtfully back at her for a moment. "No. No, you probably wouldn't want to hazard a guess, much less know."

"I thought so," agreed Sakura, who then turned and ran. "AAAAAAAAAAA! Pervert tentacles! Pervert plumber!"

At which point she ran directly into Anko Mitarashi. "AAAA! CRAZY SNAKE PROCTOR!"

"Excuse me?" asked Anko, as she almost idly grabbed Sakura and pinned her with a simple move that put one of Sakura's arms partially behind her back. "Why the hell did you dipwads not have her caught by now?"

"It was a break from paperwork," answered the suction-device wielder.

"Oh," said Anko, thinking that over and finally nodding. She released Sakura, who began running again, then drew a kunai and flashed an evil grin. "Okay then."

* * *

Hearing the outcry of ninja, howling of dogs, and similar sounds right behind her, Sakura sprinted, found a door that was ajar, and quickly dove through and shut it behind her.

"Oh good, you're back," said Ibiki, seated at the table again. "Shall we pick up where we left off?"

Sakura blinked for a few moments as she realized she had made it back to the same room she'd left earlier. "Ah. Sure. Let's."

"Excellent," said Ibiki Morino, giving no other sign whether he found this good or not. "I think I've figured out the problem here, and how we can fix it in a way that will allow your career as a ninja to move forward. Possibly even be better off than you were before."

Sakura sat down, but was already pretty sure she wasn't going to like this.

* * *

Inoichi sat down as Naruto faced Sasuke, the two seated on cushions in the soundproofed room.

"Why are you here again?" asked Sasuke, his eyes flicking to the older man.

"Because I'm experienced at things of this nature, though usually it involves extracting information from foreign nin," said Inoichi. "Though after that night, you were given a surface scan and nothing turned up."

"Yeah, well maybe this stuff'll make better sense to you," said Naruto, letting out a deep breath. "You ready?"

"Hn," indicated Sasuke, nodding once.

The fourth member of this group cleared his throat. "As long as everyone understands that anything learned here is to be kept most secret."

"Yeah," said Naruto, closing his eyes and concentrating. "Then let's get started."

* * *

One moment he was there in the room, the next he was in a darkness lit only by silver lines in the distance. Well, that and the bird of flame which led him deeper into the void.

As they approached, he could see the lines become threads linking silver orbs. When he got closer, it was to see the orbs had scenes frozen within them. Scenes he recognized.

"This is a version of a mindscape," said Inoichi's voice from somewhere nearby. "The threads are memories, and the orbs are particularly important memories. It all looks normal to me."

The firebird rose up slightly, then dove down.

"Except for THAT," amended Inoichi Yamanaka.

Vines completely covered one of the orbs, with red Sharingan eyes that swiveled towards them as they approached.

* * *

"Team 7, the Hokage will see you now."

Kakashi entered in the lead, followed by Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

The Hokage looked up from his paperwork, glanced at Ibiki to his side and then back at Team 7. "Is Sasuke going to be all right? You look like you're about to fall over."

"I'm ready to sleep for a week," said Sasuke.

"We found that a genjutsu had been thrown on him in the past, and there were late effects of that," said Naruto. "Inoichi Yamanaka should be writing up a full report."

"He was crying?" asked Sasuke. "Why was he crying? And who was that guy in the orange mask?"

"You need to get to that sleep and let things settle down," said Naruto. "That's what Yamanaka said about it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Sasuke. "You're not my mother, don't act like it. It gets creepy."

"Well pardon me," said Naruto in an obviously false snit.

"Sakura Haruno," said the Hokage, getting to the point of all this.

"Yes!" said Sakura, trying not to look nervous.

"On review of your case, it has been determined that all of your current problems and your seeming lack of skills is because you spend more time trying to impress Sasuke Uchiha than actually performing duties as a ninja," said the Hokage.

"No, that's not true," protested Sakura.

"So," said the Hokage. "A solution was found. A chance for you to improve your skills and develop as a kunoichi of the Leaf Village."

"Oh?" asked Sakura, knowing enough that she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"We are now reviewing the various transfer requests from Sasuke Uchiha and are determining if an exchange of team members will prove feasible."

"WHAT?" squeaked Sakura. "You're going to take me off Sasuke's team?"

The Hokage gazed impassively at Sakura.

Kakashi sighed. "Sakura. You just proved his point. You're not thinking of being taken off Team 7. You're thinking of being transferred away from Sasuke."

"No, that isn't true," said Sakura. "I do teamwork! I even got a good hit against Orochimaru!"

"Kakashi, there will be a meeting of jonin instructors at 1700 hours tonight, try to be on time." The Hokage's gaze swept Team 7. "Dismissed."

* * *

Naruto nudged Sasuke as they left, then nodded in a particular direction.

When Sasuke looked, he saw Sakura looking as if she were on her way to her own execution. "Hmm."

"Ne ne, Sakura," said Naruto. "It'll be okay. All you have to do is go with this transfer and prove how awesome you can be! Then they'll probably let you transfer back so you can PROVE you can do it!"

"Hn," said Sasuke, deciding that this minor show of support wasn't likely to blow up in his face.

* * *

"So who did he suggest?" asked Kakashi. "I've quite forgotten."

"Ka-Kakashi?" exclaimed Asuma, checking his watch. "He - he's on time? It's the apocalypse!"

Kakashi gave his fellow jonin as dry a look as having only one eye visible could give, which was actually fairly good since he got a lot of practice at it.

"The first one he suggested for transfer was Hinata Hyuga," said the Sandaime. "Opinions?"

"Oh, yes," said Kakashi. "I remember that one now. He actually had some good reasoning behind that one."

"Compared to Abukunai the Ninja Mouse?" asked Ibiki, looking at one of the sheets in question.

"Yes," said Kakashi. "What was it again?"

"Says here that he heard Hinata's sensei was a genjutsu type, and that Sakura was the sort to do well in genjutsu," said Ibiki, picking up the relevant application. "Naruto's control seems to improve around Hinata. Hinata's Byakugan would improve Team 7's talents in reconn and scouting, something he felt at the time that Team 7 was not particularly good at. Team 8 on the other hand, having an Aburame and an Inuzuka on it - was already well suited for both."

"I can see his point," admitted Kurenai.

"Ayame from Ichiraku's is not a ninja and therefore not a consideration," said Ibiki, putting that request to the side. "Tenten from Team Guy?"

"Mine is a combat team, and she fulfills the role of ranged attacker while both Lee and Neji fit into close-range attack areas," said Guy. "What are Sakura's combat skills like?"

"Well," said Kakashi, sounding reluctant. "Consider it a challenge to bring her taijutsu up to a high level."

"Oh?" asked Guy, thinking about possibly defeating his rival by taking a kunoichi he couldn't train and raising her to 'Unstoppable Force Of Destruction' status.

* * *

"Urk!" said Sakura, stopping in mid-step and clutching her chest.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" asked Ino, putting the usual battle aside as she took in the expression on Sakura's face.

"I just got this horrible feeling," said Sakura, using the back of her hand to wipe the sudden sweat from her forehead. "As if a horrible painful and unfashionable destiny were about to be tossed onto my shoulders."

"I'm the one who's been getting flashes of the future," said Ino. "Most of which didn't make any sense to me. For example, you in green spandex with orange legwarmers. As if THAT could ever happen."

"Please," said Sakura. "Don't even joke about something like that!"

* * *

"I could take her," said Anko, giving a crazed grin before licking a kunai. "I'll have her whipped into shape in no time!"

"Please, Anko, stop," said Asuma. "There are mental images I could do without. Besides, she's twelve. Too young for some things."

"Geez, you're no fun," said Anko. "What does Nai-chan see in you?"

Asuma reddened and turned away, Kurenai merely frowned.

"Well, what about any of these others?" asked Kurenai after a few moments. "Asuma's team is out if you're talking about switching out one kunoichi with another. Ino is as bad as Sakura when it comes to that Sasuke Fanclub."

"Worse," said Asuma.

"Well, it could still be worse," said Kakashi.

* * *

The Hokage went through the papers quickly, it wasn't a jutsu just long practice. Finally he had the ANBU-level files on the ones they could consider seriously.

"All of them need work," said Kurenai finally.

"What do you mean?" asked Asuma.

"From what I've seen, most of the girls in that group are lagging behind their male counterparts," said Kurenai. "Team Guy's Tenten is the best trained as far as combat skills."

"HA!" said Guy to his rival.

"-but her focus on her weapons skills means her genjutsu and ninjutsu are barely past the level of the others," finished Kurenai with a glare at Guy. "She's had a year more than the others but isn't as capable as the other two members of her team in anything other than weapons use."

"She doesn't actually seem to have a particular strength in general ninjutsu and she's not the sort of multitasker a genjutsu expert needs to be," countered Guy. "My own specialty, as you know, is taijutsu."

"Whereas my own taijutsu is weak," admitted Kurenai. "Maybe we should trade off on a regular basis so each of our kunoichi get a well-rounded education."

Asuma snorted.

"Why not?" asked the Hokage.

"You're kidding," said Asuma.

"No, actually, the idea has merit," said the Hokage as he considered. "Primary teams remain primary teams. Have the kunoichi rotate out for training. Test this 'crosstraining' method and see what results we get. Since the problem seems to be 'fangirl'-ism though let's keep Ino Yamanaka off of Team 7."

"Thank you," said Kakashi, rolling his visible eye. "From what I've observed she's even worse than Sakura in that regard."

"We'll have to work the details out after the third part of the Chunin Exams are over," said the Hokage. "Let's start with swapping Ino Yamanaka to Team Guy, Tenten to Team Kurenai, Hinata to Team Kakashi, Sakura to Team Asuma. Who knows, one of them may end up chunin at the end of the exam anyway."

"When do I get MY chance at 'em?" asked Anko, rubbing her hands together and looking anxious with a side order of sadistic glee.

"Actually, I've a thought on that," said Kurenai, winking at Anko as she explained her idea.

* * *

Naruto held his hands out and concentrated. Wind was actually easier than Fire, the main reason he used fire to the extent he did was because it was more flashy.

The trick with the new attack "Houyokutenshou" was that he knew how to do it as far as what the end result was. The problem was the amount of control needed. He had to generate fire with one hand, wind with the other, then fire off both so that they formed a spiraling attack. Wind would reinforce fire, and the result should be suitably impressive. Do it wrong though, and you were standing in the middle of a fireball.

Such as now when the fireball formed around him briefly and then dissipated. "Aw crap."

Unfortunately, he'd burned off most of his clothes.

Sighing, Naruto turned to his audience. "So, Hinata, could you see what I was doing wrong?"

No answer, though Hinata was obviously looking in his direction.

"Hinata?" tried Naruto again.

_PAM!_ went a little trail of blood from Hinata's nose as she collapsed.

* * *

"The Chidori," said Kakashi, demonstrating. "A lightning-based assassination technique. My original technique."

"I see," said Sasuke, his Sharingan twirling as he studied the manifestation. "Kind of noisy for an assasination technique."

"That's why you only activate it when you've got a clear shot at your target," said Kakashi. "The reason I'm showing you how to do this is that you or Naruto will likely be facing Gaara. Gaara's records indicate he's pretty dangerous, and you don't have any techniques that will get through his sand."

"How dangerous is he?" asked Sasuke.

"He's completed a number of C and B rank missions without so much as a scratch," said Kakashi. "As they're using that as a boasting point on his distributed client information - he has to have some pretty solid defenses. The part that makes the Chidori so effective is that it's an armor-piercer."

"Ah," said Sasuke.

"Are you feeling better? Yesterday after you met with Inoichi you seemed distracted," noted Kakashi.

"I was," agreed Sasuke. "I have some things to puzzle out. I have some serious questions where before I was certain about some things. If I make chunin, I will have access to more information and can get some answers."

"Ah, so we're all on the same page after all," said Kakashi, his sole visible eye indicating he was smiling under his mask. "Let's get started then."

* * *

Ino wasn't sure how she would be able to fight Sasuke. He had the Sharingan, which crossed right off any of her genjutsu. In taijutsu, he completely overshadowed her. In ninjutsu, she really didn't have much she could throw against him.

What could she do? If she simply forfeited, she was sure that Sasuke would lose respect for her. She had to at least manage a good showing.

Her ability to predict movements and read the moment was not going to be enough to put up a credible fight.

She was stuck working in her mother's flower shop anyway. What she needed was something impressive. Her flower-shuriken jutsu wasn't going to impress Sasuke. No matter how good it was to be able to throw an armor-piercing rose, that wouldn't help impress Sasuke or bring her a victory. The mind-body switch jutsu that was the single Yamanaka technique she had mastered would require pinning Sasuke or restricting his movements before she could complete the jutsu and Sasuke was NOT going to cooperate there.

What else could she, the flower of the...

"Damn it, Hinata," said Ino to the empty store. "Stop having erotic daydreams about Naruto!"

A clatter nearby told her that maybe the store wasn't quite so empty as she'd thought.

* * *

Neji was a little ambivalent about training with Tenten. There was a pretty good chance that they'd be fighting in the finals after all.

"I am so proud of you, all three of you making it to the finals is almost unheard of," said Might Guy off to the side. "Lee, I shall have to train you one-on-one. I have arranged for individual trainers for both of you."

"Unnecessary," said Neji quickly, breaking off his attack against Tenten. "My clan will handle my training. My participation brings honor to the Hyuga clan after all."

"Not unexpected," said Guy. "It would have been impossible for me to train all three of you AND keep your strategies and new manuevers secret from the other two. Your clan no doubt realized that."

"Who have you got for my training, Guy-sensei?" asked Tenten. Hoping for sanity.

"I had to call in some favors," said Guy, rubbing his chin. "This was difficult for me. Yet I was able to acquire the assistance of Yugao Uzuki, a jonin-level blademaster. You'll be meeting her tomorrow at oh-nine-hundred hours in front of the Hokage Tower."

Tenten blinked. That seemed... workable. "She works with swords?"

"Yes," said Guy. "She excels in using a hand-and-half straight style sword, but I suggested that as you are ambidextrous - that dual-wielding might be feasible for you."

"Really?" asked Tenten, still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I believe her response involved grandmothers and sucking eggs, but she will at least keep the option open when she evaluates your skills." Guy gave his thumbs-up nice-guy pose, which Tenten promptly ignored.

Neji didn't give any indication of reaction outwardly. Inside he was considering how best to use this information. If he could master the Hakkesho Kaiten, then all of Tenten's attacks would be rendered useless.

Rock Lee would fall in his usual manner before the superior Hyuga techniques, especially if the Kaiten were obtained.

"Take the rest of the day to prepare," said Guy. "For tomorrow your training begins in earnest!"


	18. Chapter 18: Flames of Youth

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 18: Flames of Youth

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

"Hmph, they haven't changed the security arrangements," said Itachi.

"Eh, lazy," commented Kisame, despite now looking almost exactly like a former member of Alpha Flight named Marrina. Albeit one wearing a concealing hat and Akatsuki robes.

"Not entirely," said Itachi as he walked the streets of Konoha for the first time in quite some time. "They can't change things too much without completely restructuring the city. There's also deep agents who would have to be briefed or updated on those new paths."

"Still, it seems kind of odd, open, peaceful," said Kisame. "It doesn't feel like a ninja village at all."

"Yes," said Itachi, giving no particular indication whether he thought that a positive or a negative difference.

"Eh," said Kisame. "So, where you suppose that brother of yours is?"

"Probably training," said Itachi. "We need to keep an eye out for the ninetailed fox carrier."

They travelled quietly for awhile, just passing through the restaurant area.

"Is your little brother cute?" asked Kisame after awhile.

Itachi wasn't sure how to answer that, and so considered the question for awhile.

"Of course, he's probably just a kid at this point," said Kisame after awhile. "Ooh, dango!"

Itachi considered mentioning that Kisame had developed a sweet tooth since becoming a 'she' instead of a 'he' but it was entirely too troublesome.

Besides, he was still trying to wrap his head around the idea that Kisame might find Sasuke to be "cute" and what to do if that happened.

That was... concerning.

* * *

Sasuke threw a rock into the water and considered the ripples.

His brother, the monster he'd sworn to kill, had been crying. Sasuke also had that night caught a glimpse of someone else. Someone whose visible eye had blazed with a spiral of their own.

He didn't ask Kakashi for details, nor Naruto or Sakura. The whole thing would be classified secret. If he was to find out what had REALLY happened that night, just those two details indicating he didn't have the full story, then he needed to be able to do his own research. He couldn't trust anyone else with any of this.

Though Naruto MIGHT be able to get details using those Yamanaka techniques, it was still Naruto - and subtle was a far cry from Naruto's typical methods.

Sasuke skipped the next rock, skimming it across the sluggish stream to deposit it on the far shore. He could go to the Hokage and request info. The worst that would happen would be that he'd be denied.

Sasuke's head snapped up as he felt a sudden presence, something registering menace, but it abruptly cut off.

* * *

"Tsukuyomi!" said Itachi as he stared into the eyes of the individual he was holding by a firm grip around their neck.

"Urk," said Kidomaru, twitching in all limbs.

Itachi then casually threw the elite ninja away as if he were garbage. "Now, if any of you want to... Kisame."

"What?" asked Kisame, then realized she was standing on the pummelled body of one of the other ninja. "Oh."

Itachi Uchiha let out a deep breath.

"Hey, I let you have that one, you didn't expect me to leave all of 'em for you, did you?" asked Kisame.

"Where'd the other two go?" asked Itachi, privately conceding it.

"I roughed up a bit, and they fled," said Kisame. "We could chase 'em down easy enough."

"No, let the Konoha nin deal with them," said Itachi.

"So we can go to that dango place now?" asked Kisame.

Itachi shrugged ever so slightly. "Might as well."

"YAY!"

Itachi considered the cheering happy Kisame and considered this very very wrong indeed.

* * *

Itachi stopped as he felt the tiny little pinprick of hatred burgeoning up. "Hello, Sasuke."

"YOU!" said Sasuke.

"Oh, this is your little brother?" asked the girl. "He IS cute."

"You picked up a girl on your travels?" asked Sasuke, looking at the teenage-looking girl with the weird bundle on her back. Who apparently liked dango if the skewer in one hand was an indication. "Is she... your girl?"

Itachi's reaction was almost as if he'd been struck a physical blow. A telling one. Sasuke immediately decided whatever he'd done - he needed to do more of it.

"Actually, I think your brother doesn't actually HAVE a sexuality," said the fish-girl. "What's the term for that?"

"Professional," said Itachi, frowning at his companion. "Are you actually flirting with my brother?"

"Nah, I think it was 'asexual' or something. Your brother, yeah? So?" asked the fish girl.

Itachi glanced up to find that his brother had activated the Sharingan in both eyes and was studying them both. "Three tomoe? Is that all you've got? You need more hatred, Sasuke."

"No," said Sasuke, grinning and drawing a kunai. "Why should I listen to you? You've long lost any authority over me. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten a chance to practice the advanced stuff, but let's see what happens if I do THIS."

"A Mangekyo Sharingan," said Itachi as he observed. He almost sounded approving.

"It's enough to see your death," said Sasuke as he concentrated, already feeling his eyes burning and chakra levels plummeting.

"So, see anything you like, cutie?" asked the fish-girl, posing.

Itachi and Sasuke both stared at the girl.

"I am really becoming quite concerned with you," said Itachi. "Come, Kisame. Finding a cure for this has just moved to first priority."

"What makes you think I'll let you go?" demanded Sasuke as he tried to get one of the fabled eye-powers like Amaterasu going.

"Little brother, you have no chance against me," said Itachi, activating his own Magenkyo. "You are inadequate even for me to test myself against."

"We'll just see about that," said Sasuke as he charged forward, only to get banged on the top of his head by the sword-wielding girl.

Itachi sighed as he looked down at his unconscious brother. "This did not go at all how I had planned."

"Eh, plans generally end up a mess," said Kisame, finishing off the dango skewer. "Let's just swing by that dango shop again on the way out. That's good stuff."

Itachi Uchiha decided he wouldn't leave the brochure about the gender-changing spring after all. If the mental effects were this bad, then it would not serve his plans at all.

After all, if Sasuke DID visit the springs and DID fall in - he might drop the vengeance quest and take up knitting or something. That wouldn't do at all.

* * *

Tayuya said a few unpleasant things as she let her heartrate drop back down out of "imminent cardiac arrest" levels.

Even Orochimaru had been wary of the Akatsuki. Of course, Orochimaru had been a disappointment in that he'd gotten killed by a genin. A genin who had forfeited when confronted by herself in the preliminary matches.

Clutching her flute and looking around, Tayuya began figuring out where she was.

She slowly relaxed. She wasn't sure what had happened to the others, just that they'd decided to try getting Sasuke Uchiha to join their village - following what they knew of Orochimaru's plans to that effect.

Then ITACHI Uchiha had popped up out of nowhere and things had gotten right buggered up.

The sound of voices drew her, not recognizing either but maybe others in her group had survived and were there?

What she saw however put a snarl back on her face. There was that little girl who was said to have been the one who got in the killing strike against Lord Orochimaru. There was only some blonde punk with her.

* * *

Tayuya first did a quick jutsu that would cause sound to seem to originate from another area. A wide-area genjutsu, and one that many of those in the Sound Village knew. Then she brought the flute to her lips and began to play.

The three ogres faded in almost immediately.

One of the ogres immediately was met by a column of wind and flame that picked it up, slashed it apart, and then burned the remains? "WHAT THE -"

The other two lumbered forward, one swinging its club down and nearly getting the black-haired girl. She twisted away at the last moment, then started hitting the ogre with that taijutsu technique the white-eyed ninja used around here.

Tayuya continued to play as she smirked. Like THAT would work. The other ogre should be reforming... now.

And now it was ripped apart again and the boy had managed to angle his attack so that TWO of her Doki were destroyed. DAMN THAT BOY!

Well, she'd just go to her Second Stage Cursemark. That would speed up the reformation.

_SLICE!_

Tayuya felt the flute drop away as the metal blade was drawn away from her throat. Her eyes flickered to the side as the tree branch that had grabbed her and sliced her throat shifted shape. Now it was a kunai held by... a red-eyed woman.

Damn them! That wasn't fair. Not fair by half...

* * *

"Don't recognize her. Probably someone who wanted to eliminate Naruto from the competition. You know the betting on that part of the exams can get pretty cutthroat."

"In this case, literally."

"Well, it's still pretty rare for someone to hire a ninja to execute competitors," said Kurenai.

"How did you know she wasn't just trying to cause an injury?" asked Hinata, curious.

"No sign of allegiance to a particular village," pointed out Kurenai. "No forehead protector. Second - the way those summoned beasts attacked. It looked as if they were going after Hinata first, probably to then hit Naruto once he had shifted to protecting another person."

"Oh, I see," said Hinata with a nod.

"So, you were spying on us because..." not-quite-asked Naruto.

"She IS one of my genin, and I do have to check up on her - especially when she's doing something potentially dangerous," admitted Kurenai.

* * *

Sasuke woke up abruptly, shivering.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?" asked Kakashi.

"Was anyone else here?" asked Sasuke, looking around.

"No," answered Kakashi. "At least not when I got here. You were just lying asleep in this field near the river."

"I see," said Sasuke, shivering.

"You need to take better care of yourself," said Kakashi. "You've got a month to train and get ready for the finals."

"I'm well aware of that," said Sasuke, a little testily. "It was just..."

"Yes?" asked Kakashi.

"It couldn't have been," said Sasuke, shaking his head. No, he couldn't POSSIBLY have seen his brother here. With a fish-girl. He couldn't possibly have faced that brother, charged him after a particularly bizarre conversation, and then... Well the rest of the dream had been a genjutsu his brother had thrown on him and that was WAY too bizarre. The details of which had dealt with a magic pond of some kind, and went from bizarre into the sort of thing that veered off into the thoroughly disgusting.

"No?" asked Kakashi.

"So when do we start training?" asked Sasuke.

"Tomorrow morning I think, it's rather late today," said Kakashi. "You're going to need to be well-rested and right now, despite having just woken up, you look... well, like crap."

"Tomorrow morning then," agreed Sasuke, brushing leaves out of his hair. Hopefully he'd be able to get the lingering details of that dream OUT of his head.

* * *

"No, Lee. Just... no."

"Is there something wrong, Tenten?"

"Rock Lee. Date," said Neji, staring off at nothing in particular and occasionally shuddering for good measure.

"Look, your tights and legwarmers are fine for training," said Tenten. "For a date? And this girl promised you a HOT date."

"Lee. HOT date," said Neji, pale eyes continuing to stare.

Tenten glanced towards her other team-mate with a look that suggested she was considering bouncing a blunt object off of his head. "Lee, you've got to be a little more formal. And BATHE first. Coming in from a day's hard sweating to date some girl is NOT a good choice. Not at all. Bathe, use cologne. Wash your hair too."

"I don't understand why," said Rock Lee.

"Lee. Date."

"You needn't act like that," Tenten said, directing her comment towards Neji. "Stranger things have happened!"

"Lee? Date?"

"Just because none come to mind doesn't mean they haven't happened," said Tenten, then turning back to Lee. "Women pay more attention to scent than guys do. She's not an Inuzuka, so not as bad as one of those would be. Still, you want to pay attention to little details like that and your shoes."

"I see," said Rock Lee, taking notes.

"It's made more difficult because she's from the Sound Village, so she's a foreign nin and may be a seduction type," said Tenten.

"Lee? Seduce?"

Tenten idly chucked a shuriken at the interruption. "A seduction type kunoichi uses a lot of psychological tactics to accomplish her mission. They're experts at interrogation and getting opponents to react to them. It isn't always 'seduce' as in leading you to 'horizontal grappling techniques' or something."

"I see," said Rock Lee.

Neji wisely refrained from saying anything, just twitched a few more times.

"Now SHE asked YOU out," said Tenten, "so you should be ready for her to have picked the place out. Since she's in THIS village though, she might not know any places. If you've got enough money, I'd suggest taking her to Miratake's place. It's a steakhouse but they've got a good selection of other dishes if she's not big on meats."

"'Miratake's'," said Rock Lee, jotting that down.

"She was fairly angry and mean-sounding in the tests. She may be a 'tsundere' type," said Tenten.

"That's good?" asked Rock Lee.

"That's bad," said Tenten. "Tsundere types have an anger-management problem. Not as bad as a 'yandere' but it can be pretty bad. If she's especially mean to you, that means she likes you. IF she's a tsundere type."

"How is that bad?" asked Rock Lee.

"Because she'll interpet everything you do in the worst way possible," said Tenten. "It may not be that though. She may just be after any village secrets she can get out of you. It's a ninja thing."

"You know a lot about these sorts of things," said Rock Lee.

"I read a fair amount," admitted Tenten.

* * *

Rock Lee stood at the appointed place, having changed clothes three times prior to arriving.

"Fine, let's get this over with," grumbled Kin as she looked over the goofy kid. Hopefully this nightmare would be over soon. It wasn't as if some wet-behind-the-ears kid would be able to keep up with HER.

* * *

Waiting for the other shoe to drop - the phrase might change depending on the culture, but the idea was the same in all of them.

Kin Tsuchi was fourteen and would admit she had a lot of mileage on her. The Sound Village was not as soft and weak as the Leaf was - she'd killed her first target at age nine. It had been the child of a minor noble, simply a declaration of intent. Follow orders or...

There had been a bad moment when the child had nearly gotten a scream out - but she'd held her hands around his neck until he'd finally stopped.

That had been a hard thing to do, to take the life of a child half her age who'd done nothing. Such was the life of a ninja though, and it wasn't as if she had any other choices.

She had contempt for this village, for its people, for its... peacefulness. You walked down the street and the civilians didn't even look away from the ninja for fear of attracting their attention.

Which made that she was actually enjoying this date all the more confusing and disgusting.

The boy was just SO over the top, ridiculous, and enthusiastic. It was like whatever he turned his hand to - he gave excessive amounts of enthusiasm about it.

These stupid little genin living in their play-pretend world. The real world wasn't nice, safe, or kind and the Leaf was just asking for trouble the way they went about their lives.

Well, the death of Orochimaru threw everything into confusion, so it was just as well that she got a free meal and such and out of it.

* * *

His eyes didn't miss a thing, something he was proud of. It, in many ways, defined him.

The horror of the potential of Rock Lee actually procreating was unthinkable. Literally unthinkable, because every time his imagination went there his mind simply locked up. That Lee, the ridiculously eyebrowed and fated to failure one, was actually dating before HIMSELF was likewise an area where the mind simply boggled and refused to consider.

Not that he was interested in anyone. If he was fated to meet someone and share this tedious fate of being a caged bird unable to fully spread wings and attain flight, then that was fate.

So he was stalking them. He understood Tenten's reason for doing so, as the girl WAS a foreign-nin and they knew damn little about... Music-Note-Village or whatever they called themselves. They were fated to have a stupid and nonsensical name and music notes on their forehead protectors. He also understood, though Tenten had put it far more diplomatically, that Lee was far more gullible and trusting than was normally acceptable in a shinobi.

He understood all that.

So he already understood that this 'Kin Tsuchi' was a senbon user. She had 47 of them in pouches and concealed on her person, plus two sets of lockpicks, seven smoke-bombs, eighteen bells (some of which were wired to senbon), a spool of ninja-wire, and six explosive tags. Oh, and a box of condoms and a roll of breath mints. Though these last he REALLY didn't want to contemplate.

He noted the way she looked at Lee and then glanced away, the way she sent furtive little glances everywhere, and the blushing she did on four occasions while they dined at Miratake's. Which indeed was a steakhouse. (And apparently - a good one. He would have to see if he was fated to dine there sometime in the future.) Lee had a Medium-Well-Done while Tsuchi had a Medium-Rare. She completely disdained the salad, apparently feeling that such was beneath a true shinobi. Which she styled herself, and which simply proved that she was a fool. Even serious ninja needed proper nutrition. That was a serious salad, and it had fresh snow peas.

Tenten was right though. This girl WAS apparently a tsundere. Thank goodness no one in their own village was such, as that would be the sort of fated thing that would simply add another layer of misery to his already fateful life.

All across Konohagakure, there was a sudden fit of sneezing for absolutely no reason that anyone could determine.

* * *

"So," asked Rock Lee, "did you like your steak?"

"Meh, it was tolerable," said Kin. Okay, she'd attacked it like a bear just coming out of winter hibernation. Okay, it'd been steak - so tender and tasty that she'd come close to dying from bliss. Cooked exactly as she'd specified, sizzling hot from the grill. It had been a Glorious steak such as she'd only dreamed of before, the sort of thing she'd see come from some aristocrat's private chef as she'd sneak in to kill a target. Every bite had set taste buds aquiver, and she hadn't even known that was possible! Hell if she'd admit that.

"Oh," said Lee, thinking that maybe the way she'd attacked that steak - it might have something to do with training?

"What next?" asked Kin, using a senbon to pick her teeth.

"I have an idea," said Lee brightly. "In order to let such a meal settle, some moderate exercise would be best."

"Ah," said Kin, rolling her eyes. So it was to sex so quickly. Well, she was fourteen. The boy was thirteen. Most of the girls had already done some of this back in her village, usually on missions to kill the guy they'd slept with. Well, at least it shouldn't take long and then this 'date' would be over.

"Yes," said Lee. "A brisk walk around the village while I show you the places of interest!"

"Well," said Kin, not really listening. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

Naruto yawned.

"Okay, that's enough training for today," decided Kurenai. "Naruto, I've thrown six genjutsu techniques at you. Three were successful but you managed to dispel after several attempts. One you were unable to dispel. The other two, well, let's not dwell on those."

"Kurenai-sensei?" asked Hinata. "Was that the time you seemed to think you were four years old?"

"That's called a 'genjutsu reversal'," agreed Kurenai Yuhi. "And yes, I'd rather not remember that."

"And the other time was when you screamed?" asked Hinata. "B-but I didn't see Naruto use any hand-seals."

"That's because, as far as I can tell, his 'Yamanaka abilities' did the reversals automatically," said Kurenai with a frown. "Possibly because you determined those to be dangerous situations."

"Oh," said Naruto. "But five out of six is still pretty good, huh?"

"Except that all it really takes is one successful genjutsu to eliminate you from a battle - possibly permanently," said Kurenai. "It's getting late though, so we should take this up again at a later date."

* * *

"-and this is the bowling alley," said Rock Lee, pointing. "On Thursday nights, it is Rock Bowling. No relation to myself."

"What kind of ninja village has a bowling alley?" grumbled Kin.

"Over there is the woodcarver Dennosuke," said Rock Lee, indicating a storefront.

"Woodcarver?" asked Kin.

"Yes, he specializes in puzzleboxes, cabinets with hidden compartments and the like," said Lee.

"Oh?" asked Kin, a little more intrigued by that.

"Yes, one time he injured one of his hands constructing a spring trap on one of his cabinets," said Rock Lee. "We performed a D-Rank mission there. My team-mate Tenten was quite intrigued by the trick scabbards."

"Hmmm," hmmmed Kin. THAT at least sounded suitably ninja-ish.

"Over here is a restaurant run by one of the Akimichi branch clan members, Yoshiyama. A ninja who dropped out of the ninja lifestyle to pursue a career in sumo for a little over a decade. He has a most youthful rivalry with Edmond of the Capitol."

"He runs a stew shop?" asked Kin.

"I am told it is some sort of tradition within those who ply that art," said Rock Lee with a nod of his head.

"Ah," said Kin. "What's that?"

Rock Lee checked to see what she was pointing at, then looked quickly away. "That is... a bar."

"Oh?" asked Kin, perking up.

"Gai-sensei has repeatedly warned me that as long as I am training, such a place would be not very youthful for me to attend," said Rock.

"Okay, just a moment," said Kin, thinking that at least the kid took his training seriously. On the other hand, she sure as heck could use a shot or two of something 'unyouthful' at the moment.

* * *

Neji stiffened.

"What is it?" asked Tenten.

"She's drinking straight from the bottle," said Neji. "Demon's Breath sake."

"Lee isn't drinking is he?" asked Tenten, well aware of what had alarmed Neji if THAT was happening.

"No," said Neji. "Yet consider his tolerance for alcohol. If he can get drunk off a single chocolate bonbon, then what might occur if they kiss?"

"Oh snap," said Tenten.

"Exactly," said Neji. "I knew this was fated to be a disaster the moment she promised..."

"Promised to seduce him?" asked Tenten, then glanced back at Neji who had frozen again. "Not again. Why do you keep doing that?"

Neji continued to twitch over the idea that Rock Lee had beaten him. Even in a manner as inconsequential as being able to get foreign ninja to declare they would seduce him.

* * *

"Ah, now this place I well know," said Rock Lee. "This is the Konoha Hot Springs. And this is..."

"Some old guy peeking on the women's side," finished Kin as she put the bottle down and drew two handful of senbon.

"Oh," said Rock Lee as his date attacked the older gentleman by throwing both group of needles into his buttocks.

There was a loud yelp of obvious pain, and suddenly the date became a brawl between Kin and this other. Rock Lee found himself in a quandry. Was it proper dating etiquette to fight alongside your date, to simply compliment her on her form, or to insist it was your duty as a Leaf ninja to punish the unyouthful nin who now had at least eight needles sticking out of one buttock?

"Nice grouping," tried Rock Lee.

"Thanks," said Kin as she was pushed back onto the defensive. "A little help here?"

Ah, that helped to define what his actions should be. "Very well then! Leaf Hurricane!"

* * *

"He took his date, to a fight, with Jiraiya?" asked Tenten as she watched through a pair of field binoculars.

"Indeed," said Neji, thinking this was more foolishness from Rock Lee. Actually he was a bit relieved as this was much more acceptable as far as possible date outcomes were concerned.

"Damn," said Tenten. "He really does know how to show a girl a good time."

One of Neji's eyebrows started twitching.

* * *

Limping, lip swollen, battered, Kin limped alongside her date for the evening. That had been fairly impressive actually.

"That old man was... formidable," Lee admitted.

"Hmmm," said Kin, looking around. "Ah, there's one. Come on, let's get this date over."

"Yes, I'm terribly sorry about this," said Lee as he followed his date. "That fight had not been..."

Rock Lee glanced up to see what kind of building they were going into. He froze. "W-what?"

Kin sighed, went back, and dragged her date into the hotel. Honestly, she only had to deal with this for another ten minutes or so all things considered. Then the date would be over and she'd never have to be around this guy with the ridiculous eyebrows again. He couldn't have any stamina left after THAT fight, after all.

Kin paused for a moment. Had that been someone screaming "no" as if the heavens themselves had betrayed them? How strange.

* * *

"Gooooooood morning, my team! How is everyone this fine day?"

"I cannot unSee what I have seen," mumbled Neji.

"Morning Lee," said Tenten, conspicuously not looking in his direction. "So, how was your date last night?"

"Interesting," said Rock Lee, giving a smile and thumb's up gesture. "It went on longer than I thought it would."

Neji flinched.

"Oh, did it?" asked Tenten.

"Yes, there was a fight with a most formidable adversary and for my participation in that event - I was shown a most youthful method of stamina training."

"Oh, so that's what she called it?" asked Tenten, by this point quite red.

Neji was wincing pretty heavily at this point.

"But now is a new day, and new challenges await! Yosh!" declared Rock Lee.

"Lee? Date?" asked Neji of the heavens.

* * *

"What happened to you?" asked Dosu.

Kin dragged herself in, regarded the couch, and then flopped down on it as if she couldn't even bother to drag herself to where she could sit down properly.

"You look..." Dosu considered how to put this where he wouldn't have to check his chair for poisoned senbon in the future. "A bit tired."

"I don't wanna talk about it," mumbled Kin into her cushion.

Dosu shrugged. "Get any good intel?"

"Ask me later," said Kin.

"How much later?" asked Dosu.

Kin didn't answer.

After a few moments, Dosu lifted up the kunoichi's arm and then let go. It flopped down limply.

"This means something," said Dosu, regarding the exhausted kunoichi. Had they tortured her for information? Oh well, he had other concerns at the moment.

* * *

"The invasion is still on?" asked Kankuro.

"That's the word," said Baki. "Apparently the rumors about his death were just rumors."

"So what do we do about Gaara?" asked Kankuro. "From what I've seen, this other guy can shut Gaara down in a second."

"If it comes to that, you and Temari will have to finish off the boy while he's occupied with Gaara," said Baki. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Uh yeah, actually," said Kankuro. "Don't get me wrong, orders are orders, personal feelings won't get in the way of following those orders, but-"

"Go on," said Baki.

"The Leaf isn't as weak, or soft, or undefended as we were led to believe," said Kankuro finally. "Since there - Gaara been a little less psychopath and a little less likely to murder me if he thinks I'm being irritating. I kinda like that part."

"I can see where that would be the case," admitted Baki.

"There are a few I'd actually be reluctant to kill," admitted Kankuro. "Usually we don't take the time to get to know our targets, it makes killin' 'em a lot easier."

"There are many talented youths among the Leaf," admitted Baki. "However, the orders remain and the Leaf will fall."

* * *

"My previous arrangements proved to be less than ideal. Yugao Uzuki is unavailable due to a mission, and I myself have been given a mission that will require two weeks to perform. Lee, your opponent is Tenten. Tenten, your opponent is Lee. This is a very odd situation that doesn't come up that often, but as it IS the case, I truly cannot aid either of you in your training lest I give favoritism."

"I understand, Gai-sensei!" enthused Rock Lee.

"Yeah, expected that," said Tenten back. Nothing ever ran smooth.

"Fear not, my youthful genin, I have arranged for individual trainers who may yet hone your skills," said Might Guy.

"Really, Guy-sensei?" enthused Lee. "But..."

"Don't worry, Lee," said Guy. "Tenten, you are a weapon specialist, but I've arranged for another weapon in your arsenal."

"Oh?" asked Tenten with some trepidation.

* * *

"Hello, meatbag, I hear you think you're a kunoichi."

Tenten blinked. "You're the second proctor for the Exam. Yeah. I'm paid for ninja work, and I'm a girl, so yeah - kunoichi."

"You ain't a kunoichi until I say you're a kunoichi," Anko informed the student. "What we've got is less than a month to get you ready. You are gonna hate me. You are gonna go through pain and suffering beyond anything you think you've done before. If you survive and don't break, THEN you'll be a kunoichi."

"Uh huh," said Tenten. "Listen, I have to put up with Neji's monologuing about fate. Guy and Lee going on about youth. Enough brooding and testosterone for an entire class. How about we just get to it and skip the dialoguing."

Anko considered her for a moment, then shrugged. "Point taken. Well, come on. Let's see what you've got."

* * *

"So you are the 'Uncle Genma' I have heard so much about," said Rock Lee.

"That is indeed, me, Genma Saotome of the branch of the Uchiha," said the portly man adjusting his glasses. "And you would be Rock Lee. The boy who has no skill at genjutsu or ninjutsu but excels at taijutsu through sheer hard work."

"That is indeed myself," admitted Lee.

"Your secret manuever, 'Juggernaut Jutsu' is indeed powerful," said Uncle Genma.

"You know of my secret manuever?" asked Lee.

"I have my sources," said Genma. "Well, we'll get started. First, let me examine your chi pathways."

"My chi?" asked Lee as Genma adjusted his glasses and began walking around Lee.

"Chakra is formed with combining spiritual energy and your chi," explained Genma. "Your sensei tells me that it took enormous effort for you to manage the tree-climbing and water-walking techniques. So... ah. Hmmm."

"What is it?" asked Lee.

"You have an enormous source of chakra within you," said Genma. "However, you are unable to tap into that normally. Your OWN stores of chakra are much more limited but essentially intact. So... how do you feel about tattoos?"

"'Tattoos'?" asked Lee.

"I'll demonstrate." Genma removed his shirt, then reached up and touched a blue sigil near his left shoulder. A large metal club with knobby protrusions all along the head dropped into his hands.

"That is similar to the weapon-sealing technique?" asked Lee. "My team-mate Tenten makes extensive use of this."

"There are tattoos like this which are simply pre-written jutsu," said Genma. "Here's another." Genma touched another tattoo and vanished.

"Oh?" asked Lee.

"One simply channels chakra into the tattoo, which stores it, and can then release the technique in a moment," said Genma's voice, though it was difficult to say where it was coming from. "Both the oni club and vanishing technique can be accomplished by such a means."

Lee searched the area, only stopping when Genma reappeared out of thin air.

"We'll go with more traditional training, it's something merely for you to think about," said Genma. "First, I'm going to train you in an insanely painful manner about a truly terrifying technique."

"Ah, that sounds promising," said Lee.

"Fortunately," said Genma, "this forest has exactly what we'll need for you to learn this. Except for the wolves, chains, and ropes. I brought those though, don't worry."

"Yosh!" enthused Lee.

* * *

In a way, it was very simple. Wind chakra enhanced the power of fire chakra. In another way it was very complicated, one had to manifest both types of chakra simultaneously and then form a spiral where the two could swirl out together. There had been a breakthrough, as Naruto had found that the wind chakra could draw the flame along its path, making it easier as the fire chakra then didn't have to be directed.

In any case, it was damn effective. Wind cut and hammered, fire burned, and the whole corkscrewed into an attack which also threw the opponent backwards.

Of course, there were downsides of the attack. If he threw it, he either needed to be anchored or the attack would thrust him backwards at the same time.

Houyoku Tenshou or Rise of the Phoenix Wings. It was an attack which could take out a group of targets in an area about twenty feet across. With practice, Naruto thought he could form it in a cyclone around him, or possibly focus it to a single target. That would take time and practice however.

Another idea had occurred to them. Some of the dreams he'd had lately had been of a warrior in odd armor who'd declared himself to be the Phoenix warrior. The Houyoku Tenshou was one of the two major attacks of this dream-warrior, the other being Phoenix Genma Ken or the Phoenix Nightmare Fist.

"This is tricky," said Kurenai Yuhi after a description of the technique was given her. "It's theoretically possible, as it sounds mostly like a variant on the Hell Viewing Technique. You might consult with the Yamanaka on this though as it requires you to use that sort of technique more than the sort of genjutsu I can teach you."

"Oh," said Naruto, leaving Team 8 to practice with a wave towards Hinata.

* * *

"You want this attack to do what?" asked Inoichi. "There's a genjutsu called the Hell Viewing Attack, fairly common, that does the same thing."

"That's what Kurenai-sensei said," said Naruto.

"Because it IS so common, it would be ineffective against most ninja," said Inoichi. "The experienced ones know about it, which reduces the effectiveness of such a thing considerably at which point they can dispel it."

"Oh, I see," said Naruto.

Inoichi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Maybe..."

"Yeah?" asked Naruto hopefully. If nothing else maybe he could use the name - which struck him as being somewhat cool.

"If you used a touch to deliver it, or a punch, you might be able to... no. No, that would be too difficult."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Manabu Akado was well known within certain circles of Konohagakure.

He was, among other things, a sort of eternal-genin. He was also an accountant, a fuuinjutsu artist, occasionally a teacher, and an acquirer of odd skills.

One of those odd skills was a jutsu that required two things. One of which was a brush which contained at least one hair from the target. Which made the technique useless in most combat circumstances, but he'd worked it out over the years as a TEACHING jutsu and not a combat jutsu.

Still, this was his last year that he'd be able to participate in the Chunin Exams. He was already 38 and feeling like the mileage he'd accumulated in that time had added another good ten years to that.

If he succeeded to make Chunin, he could go to teach at the Academy. He'd be able to work another ten years or so, then retire to part-time at the age of forty-eight. No more getting called on to round out someone's genin team for physical labor jobs like rebuilding walls or unloading barges and wagons.

On a chunin's wage, he could maybe attract some girl. Get married. Raise a kid. Do the stuff that you could see the civilians do.

He was also quite aware, thank you, that his immediate supervisor in the chain-of-command didn't want him to make chunin because he was NOT good at the whole personal-combat thing and had hit his limit as far as being able to develop his chakra capacity.

All he had to do was make a good showing. If he could trick the kunoichi 'Temari' into meeting the second condition of the jutsu - he had a good chance. Even if he didn't beat her, there was a chance the usefulness of his technique could be noted. If he DID beat her, there was a much better chance of course.

Using a brush into which he'd woven THREE of her hairs, Manabu Akado readied the scroll.

* * *

Kabuto Yakushi was in a bit of a bind. While still registered as a Konoha nin, he had absolutely no time to BE a Konoha nin. He was known to many in Sound as Orochimaru's right-hand man, but he lacked Orochimaru's reputation and presence.

The alliance between Sound and Sand to attack Leaf was fragile at this point. Fortunately, using a henge and disguising his voice, he'd been able to play the part of Orochimaru and convince some that he was not in fact dead.

Not all though, some were able to pick up on subtleties and if he'd tried it - it would have thrown away any chance of his picking up where Orochimaru had left off.

Which brought him to this sorry state of affairs.

He was fairly certain that he could assassinate the Kazekage. Using a henge to disguise himself as Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage was a fair bit trickier. It would work fine against the genin, but some of those others like Baki were quite a lot better at such things. Orochimaru had sufficient experience that he could pull it off. Kabuto wasn't 100% sure he could fool Baki or a couple of the other jonin.

Now he had to make sure one of the Sound genin didn't pull something stupid and throw the Invasion off. After all, if the Leaf didn't fall - he wouldn't get access to some of those records and samples that he wanted.

* * *

Neji stopped and began trying to catch his breath.

"Well, you blocked all of them," said Tenten. "I'd say you've got it."

"I have to perfect it now," said Neji. "Though he has been a loser and destined to fall before me, his flames could still weaken me enough that I would be at a disadvantage in the next set of fights."

"Yeah, well, I got my own training to do," said Tenten, sighing at the end of that. "See you in the finals."

"If it is fated to be so, then it shall be so," said Neji.

* * *

Temari flipped the scroll shut. "That's all we've got on this guy?"

"That's it," said Baki. "He appears not to have gone outside the village in years. Mostly what we know of him has come out of previous chunin exams. Technically he's done about average, but has never been promoted. According to reports from those exams, he is weak at close-range combat."

"Not my specialty either," admitted Temari. "I do alright though."

"Yes, you should be able to defeat him easily," said Baki. "If he tries the shikigami technique, you can easily crush him."

"'Shikigami'?" asked Temari.

"He makes paper dolls, inscribes fuuinjutsu, and makes a sort of paper clone in the image of the person or animal he specifies," said Baki, taking the scroll and unfurling it to the correct section. "He attempted to pass the last exam using those. The problem is that they have roughly a tenth the strength of the original and they're all fairly lightweight."

"So I could blow them all away," realized Temari. "Literally in this case."

"So let's concentrate on who will be your likely opponents in the rounds thereafter," began Baki.

* * *

The old man sighed softly as he beheld Konohagakure again. How many years had it been?

Twenty? Forty? A long time, to be sure. He'd left during the midst of the last Ninja War, but now he was nearing the end of his days and it was time to see the place one last time.

Looking at it from a distance, the old man sighed again before moving to his donkey and checking his packs, then turning around.

Security would be too tight. They might not recognize him now, but then again - they might. Especially the ones of his clan, who might include those who could recognize individuals by senses other than sight.

During the third phase of the exam - THAT was the proper time to sneak in and see the old place one last time.


	19. Chapter 19:Chunin Exams, Third Test

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 19: Chunin Exams, Third Segment

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

"The Fire Daimyo has arrived at the stadium," said the ANBU.

The Hokage checked his watch and nodded. "He's usually early. One of those who tries to get things done and out of the way."

"Ah," said the ANBU.

"By the way, he acts somewhat foolish, but don't be fooled. That's an act he maintains to keep people off their guard." The Hokage smirked. "Well, mostly."

"Yes sir," said the ANBU, whose mask had rabbit markings.

"Well, might as well get there myself," said the Hokage before vanishing in a shunshin.

* * *

Naruto looked completely unconcerned with what was going on. He even had his eyes closed frequently.

That wasn't really what he was feeling though. Konohagakure was more crowded than he ever remembered it being. Strong spikes of emotion were reaching him even through the shields and it was taking some effort to keep them constantly up.

He could feel Hinata's concern and excitement if he just "looked" for it. Apparently she was sitting with her sister and father over there.

There was Ino, he could find her easily enough through the link, she was sitting with her team. She was distracted, confused and frustrated, but not letting out whatever it was that had her off her focus.

Here and there were others he recognized amongst the sea of others, but mostly it was unknowns.

With a shudder, Naruto shut down the search and hardened his mental defenses as much as possible. Thousands of different minds, all shouting and not shouting any single thing, were more than he could take.

At least his fight was up soon.

* * *

"Ugh," said Ino.

"What's wrong?" asked Shikamaru. "Headache?"

"No, it's my visions," said Ino. "I'm getting flashes of a lot of different things, as if something's about to happen but then again - it's also not."

"I don't get it," said Choji.

"Is it one of those points where anything could go any number of ways?" asked Shikamaru. "Focal points, I think you called them."

"Something like that," said Ino, rubbing her temples. "It's like the whole thing has built up, and there's now equal chances of a dozen different futures blowing up in our faces. I just can't see which of them is right."

"I see," said Shikamaru. "What's the worst?"

"A monster, a big one, and enemy ninja everywhere," said Ino. "Blood and death and ruin."

"Okay," admitted Shikamaru. "That's bad. What's the least bad?"

"I make chunin, nothing else notable," said Ino.

"You sure that's not just wishful thinking?" mumbled Choji.

"Have you told anyone?" asked Shikamaru, heading off Ino's probably violent reaction.

"You guys," said Ino. "Oh, and that one proctor - Hayate."

"The one that keeps coughing as if he's gonna die at any moment?" asked Choji.

* * *

Most everyone knew what the Hokage would say. It was the same thing no matter who hosted the Chunin Exams after all, giving the history of them and how they'd developed to the current stage.

From battles to the death in personal duels and inter-village warfare to the possibility of death in one-on-one matches before an audience. It wasn't perfect, nobody was saying it was, but it was an improvement on the previous situation.

"And so we begin," finished off the Hokage, noticing the number of genin who looked ready to fall asleep. "Try to stay alive and comport yourselves as excellent shinobi."

"I'll be your proctor, Hayate Gek..." The jonin was interrupted by a coughing fit, but he continued a moment later as if there had been no interruption. "Gekko. First participants. Naruto Uzumaki. Neji Hyuga."

Naruto let out a deep breath, glancing towards where Hinata was with her family.

He jumped down, ignoring the stairs, using his talents to fall slower than was strictly normal.

Neji was already sneering before he made it to the floor of the arena.

* * *

"This should be interesting," said the ANBU from the shadows of a pillar in a low voice.

"The Yamanaka genius versus the Hyuga genius," replied Baki equally as quietly as he watched. "I don't know. The random matchups have so far been a disappointment. The matchups have ended up showing only how one side's skills are a poor match against the other."

"The random matchups have been exactly that this year," said the ANBU. "Will your group be ready?"

"Always," said Baki quietly, his eyes continuing to scan the crowd as the 'ANBU' faded back into the background.

* * *

"You are fated to lose here," said Neji. "You were a failure at the Academy, and you remain a failure."

"Begin," said Hayate.

"Y'know," said Naruto, casually forming a ball of flame in one hand. "Hinata's my friend. You shouldn't diss her like that."

"Any victories she has enjoyed were a mere fluke," said Neji. "She remains a failure, one who should just give up being a ninja. You yourself rely entirely on your bloodline abilities, a crutch to keep you from being a complete failure."

"How many non-Byakugan techniques do you know?" asked Naruto.

Neji shook his head. "Childish. You continue to strive against fate, despite being destined to lose against me."

Naruto held his hands forward and generated flame. "If you're not gonna listen, I'll just have to make you! Firestream!"

Neji spun around, forming a glowing dome of chakra, dispersing the flames as they reached him. When he stopped, it was to regard Naruto again. "You see. I have learned the Kaiten - the ultimate defense. You cannot harm me."

"Oh?" asked Naruto, changing his aim slightly. "Let's try that again then. Firestream!" Again Neji spun, forming the dome of chakra. This time the flames struck at an angle with the spin though. Instead of dissipating harmlessly, the flames began wrapping around the dome. After a few seconds there was a dome of fire surrounding Neji's location.

Naruto kept the flames coming for a few minutes, then dismissed them.

The kaiten continued slightly longer, then Neji let the technique drop and charged Naruto.

Naruto shifted to dodging and avoiding everything he could, wincing when strikes managed to hit him in one forearm and that shoulder anyway.

At which point he made a two handed cross-sign and spammed a large number of clones.

* * *

"Hmph," hmphed Hanabi. "That's it, it's over. Neji's won."

"Eh? W-why?" asked Hinata.

"He's gotten two hits in," explained Hanabi as if it were obvious. "That arm will be useless."

"Hanabi," said Hiashi.

"Father?" asked Hanabi, hearing a faint trace of censure in that voice.

"You are right about this being over, but you have not observed correctly," said Hiashi, his eyes never leaving the fight.

"But those shadow clones..." began Hanabi.

At which point Neji did something and the six clones grappling Neji all exploded.

"Oh," said Hanabi.

"Indeed," said Hiashi.

"Byakugan," said Hanabi, then her eyes widened. "Oh dear."

"Indeed," repeated Hiashi.

"N-Naruto's been trained by several people this past month," said Hinata.

Nearby, some kunoichi from Sand wolf-whistled.

* * *

Neji staggered out of the smoke cloud, smudged, with most of his clothing burned off. "Is that the best you can do?"

Naruto, quite a distance away now, shrugged. "See, back in the Academy, I did really poorly. In fact, there was this one technique I just couldn't get."

"Keeping your mouth shut?" asked Neji, wiping blood from his mouth and settling into a jyuuken stance.

"The clone technique," said Naruto. "Since then though. I got better."

"You done?" asked Neji, activating his Byakugan.

"I just got one more thing to say," said Naruto, eyeing the crater that Neji was stepping out of.

"Make it exceptional, because it will be the last words before your fated defeat," said Neji.

Naruto shrugged again. "Boom."

"What?" asked Neji before his eyes widened and he reflexively looked down.

The ground exploded as several more explosive fire clones went off from where they'd hidden underground.

Naruto made that familiar cross-seal. Fire clones formed and ran forward.

"That's enough," said Hayate Gekko as the smoke slowly cleared.

The kunoichi from Sand wolf-whistled again.

If Neji hadn't been unconscious, he might have been defeated by sheer embarassment.

"Naruto Uzumaki wins by knockout, and would the medics bring this guy some clothes before he catches cold or something?" asked Hayate. "Did you have to blow up his clothes?"

"I don't know why that keeps happening like that," admitted Naruto.

* * *

"Next up. Temari of the Sand Village. Manabu Akado of the Leaf."

* * *

Temari kept her eyes on the ancient (had to be in his 30s!) genin as they both made their way down to the arena floor.

He had three small scrolls plus one large one with him, and some other items she didn't immediately see the use of. Was that a drum? Why bring a drum to a ninja fight?

"Are you two ready?" asked Hayate Gekko as they took their places.

"Hope you've had your last meal," said Temari. "Hate to send you to the underworld on an empty stomach."

"Oh dear," said Manabu Akado in reply. "We haven't met before have we?"

"No, why?" asked Temari.

"Well, you DID make it sound like this was a grudge match," noted the thirty-eight year old to the fifteen year old. "Tell you what, why don't I show you how a technique to teach young ones useful skills can be used in combat. Especially as we've got such an illustrious audience."

"Bring it on, old man. Do your worst," said Temari. "I'll end this battle in one blow."

"Thank you," said Manabu, inclining his head. "That was the last thing I needed from you."

"Eh?" asked Temari.

"If you're done with the pre-battle banter," said Hayate tiredly, then slashing the air. "Begin!"

Temari leapt back, one hand reaching up for her fan to unleash it.

Manabu Ando merely unfurled the large scroll with one hand, the other hand drawing blood and splashing it onto the paper.

"Old Time Rock And Roll No Jutsu!" called out Manabu.

"Wha-" began Temari before her hands came down to... where did this guitar come from? Why was she playing it in the middle of a battle? HOW was she playing it?

Temari opened her mouth to say something about this, seeing her opponent just sitting there facing his scroll with his hands in a ram seal.

"Colour me your colour, baby  
Colour me your car  
Colour me your colour, darling  
I know who you are."

Temari's eyes narrowed. It wasn't like Kankuro's puppet techniques being used on her. It was something different. If she could figure out what he was doing, she could break this technique.

"Come up off your colour chart  
I know where you're coming from  
Call me on the line  
Call me call me any anytime  
Call me my love you can call me any day or night.  
Call me."

No, decided Temari. It was as if her fingers knew the song, she could almost see the notes to... a TEACHING technique.

The jutsu was teaching her the song, how to play, how to sing? Useless skills. Unless one got an infiltration mission in which case they'd be damn near invaluable.

"Cover me with kisses, baby  
Cover me with love  
Roll me in designer sheets  
I'll never get enough  
Emotions come I don't know why  
Cover up love's alibi."

Temari's eyes widened as she could see. Do this this way, looking out into the audience, make eye contact with a few here and there - bringing them into the performance. Damn. Even if the knowledge just stayed with you for a few days or so, this would be a kami-send for infiltration missions. What other skills could this technique teach?

"Call me on the line  
Call me call me any anytime  
Call me oh my love  
When you're ready we can share the wine.  
Call me."

Temari internally smiled as she made a couple of sweeping gestures. The old guy had TOLD her how she could break out of the jutsu. All she had to do was revoke permission. She lost the smile as she realized that this guy was using the match - not to win but to show off what he could do. If he'd thrown out a few explosive tags at the start of the match, she'd be helpless as they went off around her.

So she could cancel this if she just was able to verbally take back permission for the jutsu to work.

IF she could stop singing, which was probably why music was the current method of attack. Now she was stuck with everyone watching her as she performed on stage.

"Ooh, he speaks the languages of love  
Ooh, amore, chiamami chiamami.  
Oo, appelle-moi mon cherie, appelle-moi  
Anytime anyplace anywhere anyway  
Anytime anyplace anywhere any day, anyway."

Temari realized the song had to end, and then she'd have her chance.

* * *

"I didn't know Temari could sing," said Gaara quietly.

"She can't," admitted Kankuro. "The old saying about not being able to carry a tune if it had handles - that's her."

"I didn't know she could play whatever-that-is," said Gaara.

"I'm pretty sure that's an effect of the jutsu," said Kankuro.

"Ah," said Gaara.

Kankuro frowned, thinking this was the most NORMAL conversation he'd ever had with Gaara. No threats, no innuendo about incipient violence, but just casual talk about their mutual sister.

* * *

The song ended, as songs do. Manabu slapped hand-seals together quickly.

Temari's hands raced for the giant fan on her back, opening it to three moons and slashing with it in a single move. She was quite aware that if he got that last seal into place - she would be exhausted and would lose this match.

The wind picked up the old guy, threw him into a tree, and then bounced him off a wall.

"Sickle Weasel Technique!" called out Temari, making another set of passes and enveloping the older genin in a whirlwind. She rotated the whirlwind into a tree specifically to thrash him with the cut branches, leaves, chunks of rock ripped out of the ground.

"Uhm, I think you've beaten him," said Hayate. "Winner - Temari."

Temari made another slash, using a wind-blade to knock the older genin out of the whirlwind and slam him into the ground.

"Don't you think that was a bit excessive?" asked Hayate Gekko as the wind-mistress watched the old guy for any sign of movement. When he didn't she finally turned and walked to the stairs.

"Yikes, Temari, I realize he's not of our village, but still..." Kankuro said when she reached their position. She'd actually managed quite the performance and there'd been some cheering until she'd brought her fan down. Yeah, she had a vicious streak, occupational hazard. It wasn't like the outcome of the match had ever been in doubt.

Temari was aware of Baki looking on curiously. Not that any of the Sand trio were particularly soft or overly sentimental.

"Do you understand what that technique does? What it means?" asked Temari.

"Some kind of puppet technique?" asked Gaara softly.

"No. It literally teaches you new skills," said Temari. "I can still see how to play that instrument. How to sing better than I have. How to read music. Do you understand?"

"Uhm, no, sounds like what he called it - a teaching technique," said Kankuro.

Baki stood nearby and finally nodded. "I see."

"Well, I don't," confessed Kankuro. "So he could teach her music? What's the big deal?"

"I think it'll fade away with time," said Temari. "But imagine it. That old sandworm over there can teach fresh genin how to do something well enough to perform it expertly. What will that do to infiltration missions?"

"If he could teach you how to do anything he knows how to do?" asked Kankuro. "That would be incredible. There's always the chance of being caught on those things because we're ninja - we practice other skills all the time so we're not going to be as good at any craft to the extent of an expert. Ah. I get it. We can't let a rival village have that kind of advantage."

"So the technique likely dies here," said Gaara, his face an emotionless mask.

Temari shuddered, not wanting to say more about it. That she'd ENJOYED it. Not the 'being a puppet' part. The whole being able to make music and grab the attention of a crowd and the feedback between crowd and performer. It had been a rush, and an unfamiliar one, though she'd never stopped waiting for her opportunity to break free and counterattack.

Temari sat down and watched as a large branch was removed from the old fossil's chest and he was hauled off for the medics. If they invaded, that would be one technique they'd have to try and acquire. If there was anything left of Leaf at the end considering what she'd heard of the allies Sound had been trying to arrange.

* * *

"Next match. Ino Yamanaka. Sasuke Uchiha."

Ino made her way down to the floor, trying to ignore that this was Sasuke she was facing.

She'd had a month to come to terms with it, but coming to terms with it when you were alone in a training ground and being face to face with the reality was a little different.

Sasuke looked... pensive. More than usual.

"No pre-battle banter?" asked Hayate. "Cause honestly, I'm getting used to it."

"You better take this fight seriously," said Sasuke.

"Of course I will!" retorted Ino.

"Are you sure? Because it looked like you were about to forfeit," said Sasuke.

Ino flinched because she HAD been considering that.

Sasuke wanted a good fight, the better to show off. "Hmph. So, it's true what Sakura says. You're just a useless fangirl not worth my attention."

Ino blinked before her face slid into an irritated expression. "She said WHAT?"

* * *

"Did I say that?" asked Sakura in the stands.

"Don't think so," said Shikamaru from where he was sitting nearby. "You two insult each other all the time, but I don't think either of you call each other fangirls. No matter how appropriate that would be."

"HEY! SHUTUP!" responded Sakura.

"Troublesome," mumbled Shikamaru as he started looking for somewhere quieter he could go.

* * *

"I'll make you regret that," said Ino.

"Start," said Hayate, leaping back.

Ino reached into a shuriken pouch and drew something that was not a shuriken out.

"Let's see what you've got," said Sasuke, settling into a ready stance.

Ino threw the ball at Sasuke, then darted to the side.

Sasuke figured the ball was harmless, it coming from Ino after all, and simply caught it.

When it exploded into a cloud of smoke, he consoled himself with the thought that at least Ino was taking this seriously.

* * *

"So this 'Yamanaka genius' isn't even a Yamanaka?" asked the old man, clearly disappointed.

"Not that this girl isn't pretty good," said the scarred jonin. "She was a one-trick pony when she graduated but since then she's picked up a new trick or two."

"Oh?" asked the old man, perking up a bit. "I've been on the road a lot, so I haven't heard."

"Yes," said the jonin. "Your accent is of the Twelve Islands, so you have come a long ways."

"Well, I was of this country, but I made some questionable investments years ago," said the old man with a smile and shrug. "Not that they didn't pan out, but... it was a long time ago and events long past."

"When was this?" asked the jonin.

"During the last ninja war," said the old man. "So what kind of technique has this Yamanaka developed?"

The jonin nodded. There were a lot of civilians who'd fled during that time. It was plausible, certainly. "Some sort of speed technique."

"Psychometabolism maybe," mumbled the old man.

"What was that?" asked the jonin.

"Hmmm? Oh, a hobby of mine, understanding the basics behind some forms of jutsu," said the old man. "The Yamanaka clan techniques, what little of them is known to outsiders, are based on certain principles dealing with powers of the mind."

"I had no idea there were civilians interested in jutsu," mused the jonin.

"Oh, of course there are," said the old man, turning the majority of his attention to the battle. "Even if we can't perform those jutsu, they are capable of such amazing things that they quite capture one's imagination."

"Ah," said the jonin, settling down. That DID make sense. No matter how secret one kept the details of one's techniques, if there were survivors - they weren't going to be completely secret after all.

The old man glanced at the jonin, feeling the suspicions ease away, and relaxed a little himself. Let them remain ignorant that the Yamanaka who'd abandoned his village had returned. It had been quite some time after all, and if there wasn't a Statute Of Limitations on such things - there should be in his opinion.

* * *

The smoke cloud erupted as Sasuke charged out, flinging shuriken from both hands in a glittering arc.

Ino seemed to know it was coming and ducked out of the way.

That seemed to establish the way things were going to go. Sasuke attacked, Ino was dodging as soon as Sasuke began. Ino would attack, and Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to dodge.

Sasuke started blowing fireballs in Ino's direction.

The audience grew restless as what should have been an easy victory for Sasuke simply continued to be more a war of attrition with neither side giving or getting in a good hit.

Finally, it came down to taijutsu and Ino getting exhausted to the point where she just couldn't dodge fast enough.

Sasuke looked down at his fallen opponent for a moment, then sniffed and turned away.

"Winner - Sasuke Uchiha. After forty-five minutes of dodging attacks," said Hayate. "Hopefully the next match will be more exciting. Tenten versus Rock Lee," said Hayate, who then stopped to begin a wet cough that went on for a couple of minutes.

"Pardon me, Mister Proctor, but wouldn't it be better to have that checked out?" asked Rock Lee politely.

"Yeah, he's right, that doesn't exactly sound good," seconded Tenten.

Hayate finished finally. "Is that the extent of your pre-battle banter?"

"No need," Tenten assured him. "We're on the same team. We pretty much know each other at this point."

Rock Lee went into a casual-ready pose and nodded.

"Well, just make it a bit better than the last fight, would you?" asked Hayate. "And begin."

* * *

_Okay. His style is 'up close and in your face' so my style is going to be 'keep your distance' and..._ Tenten leapt back, unfurling a special scroll. "Everything And The Kitchen Sink no jutsu!"

This, if nothing else, showed off her ability to throw objects that were not normally what one thought of as 'thrown weapons' but then just about anyone could throw kunai or shuriken.

So Lee was stuck dodging: eight kitchen knives, a baking pan, three metal spatulas, two sets of chopsticks, a duck, twelve spoons, three forks, and a kitchen sink. All of which were thrown with complete precision.

"Why a duck?" asked Rock Lee when the barrage was over.

"Why not?" asked Tenten, fanning a set of playing cards in both hands. "Here's the deal."

Playing cards normally weren't good projectile weapons, as the least little air current could send them off in odd directions. Here she could fire them off in quick succession.

Lee grabbed one. "The Queen of Hearts?"

"You're messing with the Queen Of Hearts," quipped Tenten. "Just so you know - there's a Joker in the deck."

Lee blinked and then cartwheeled away before the card that had landed at his feet exploded.

Of course, by that time, Tenten had another scroll out and was unsealing it.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" asked Konohamaru.

"In Sand, it's a dry heat," said Gaara thoughtfully before contemplating the crushed-ice drink with another sip. "The citrus-flavor seems especially suited to the humidity here."

"Yeah, it can get kinda boggy," said Konohamaru, glancing at the battle as they walked along the corridor.

"Beat it, kid," said a genin as three of them walked up. "We got business with the Sand genin here."

"I do not believe you do actually," said Gaara with some irritation.

"Oh yes, we do," said one of the Grass-nin. "You ain't even supposed to be in this area, kid."

"Eh, later, Gaara," said Konohamaru. "I gotta get back to my section."

"Oh," said Gaara simply as Konohamaru scampered off.

"Now that the brat's out of the way," said the lead Grass-nin. "Let me tell you how it's going to go down. You're going to throw your fight."

"Excuse me?" asked Gaara.

"Hey, don't be eating a popsicle while I talk to you," said one of the other Grass-nin, slapping the ice cream out of Gaara's hand.

Gaara frowned and said something in a perfectly calm and level voice. "You know. Mother's been hungry lately."

"Well, you can run off to your mommy later," said the Grass-nin. "Don't cry little boy."

Gaara continued in the same calm tone. "You know. You've made me angry. That really isn't a good idea."

"Hey, what you going to do, cry at us?" asked the Grass-nin who'd been silent till now.

"You can have these three, Mother," said Gaara quietly.

Sand erupted from the large gourd on his back.

* * *

_Let's see, I can't remove the weights or open any Gates because Tenten is a member of my team and I cannot risk serious injury to her. That leaves the Juggernaut Jutsu, but that is also a significant risk to an opponent._

Rock Lee dodged another set, knowing that Tenten was most likely moving to wires next.

Tenten flipped a scroll up into the air, then made a quick set of handsigns.

_She's not going to use THAT against me, is she?_

"Thousand Needles No Jutsu!"

_Yup. She's going to use THAT against me._

"Juggernaut Jutsu!"

A stream of needles shot out, Rock Lee charging through them.

* * *

He was considered an S-Class missing-nin and a major international criminal. He was considered extremely dangerous, the most talented mindbender the clan had ever produced. He was also thought to be dead.

The Second Great Ninja War had been a time when he'd seen death, and worse - experienced it again and again.

He'd been young, teenage, and kind of cocky when he'd been a genin and fresh to the war. When he'd finally had enough, he was still a teenager and he'd been fighting some kunoichi from Stone who'd been pretty much focussed on slitting his throat.

He'd slipped into her mind and found that she didn't want to be there either. That while she was still trying to drive a kunai into him and they were grappling in the mud, there were dreams of having children and leaving this war behind.

She had been the first. He'd driven into her mind, seizing control of it, found the little back passages and nooks and crannies and he'd thrown his Will in there.

He'd panicked for a moment at what he'd done, then he'd found that it had... benefits. And that he was, ninja or not, human and a teenage boy with more hormones than he knew what to do with.

When he'd left the Elemental Countries for the Twelve Islands, he'd arrived with several more kunoichi from enemy forces who now were absolutely devoted to him.

He loved them, they loved him, and he had a fairly long and productive life in the Twelve Islands. Now, he was at the end of his days, feeling the years and miles had accumulated beyond his ability to hold them off. His wives had all died, and his kids were off with their own families now. So he'd come back here, wanting to see Konoha one last time.

He was still talented though, and his eyes scanned the crowd as he felt something was dreadfully wrong here.

* * *

It finally came down to stamina. Rock Lee had lots of it. Tenten did not. Tenten did have explosive tags and other things which ended up being used, but when Rock Lee was using his Juggernaut Jutsu - he was damn near invulnerable. The problem was that he was running out of energy to use that.

So Rock Lee's speed and stamina eventually gave him the edge. It wasn't as quickly over as the fight with Kin had been, but eventually it was just as over with Rock Lee grappling and then applying a sleeper hold on his team-mate.

"Winner - Rock Lee," said Hayate as Tenten stopped struggling and signaled before she could completely black out.

* * *

"Well, Mother," said Gaara as his sands slithered back into his gourd. "Eh? What do you want, Baki?"

Baki's hand darted out and Gaara slumped into unconsciousness.

"What do I want? I want nothing," said Baki, "except to serve the Kazekage's orders."

Baki vanished quickly as the sand began pouring back out of the gourd and the Shukaku wakened.


	20. Chapter 20: Invasion of Fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 20: Invasion of Fire

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

Baki had given a small signal and vanished.

Temari grimaced. _That was it. The signal. Damn._

Kankuro nodded and stood up in order to yawn and stretch, which was actually just relaying the signal.

Temari moved to the appropriate point as the shower of white feathers began, a genjutsu that would neutralize the civilians and most of the genin. _They'll be taken out and then they can be slaughtered like sheep. Kankuro's making his move, I've got to back him up. Where's Gaara though?_

One side of the arena abruptly exploded as the Shukaku began to rage.

_Oh hell._

Two nin from Grass appeared and stabbed at their target, the blonde kid who laughed too loud and had been able to take out the Shukaku. Four others stood out of immediate range, loosing ranged projectiles.

_The plan is to hit him from all sides, fast, during the initial confusion. In the meantime, I have my own designated targets. Kill them quickly and then get out of the way of Shukaku._

Temari quickly found her targets, her stomach turning just a bit. Having to kill Gaara's "friend" wasn't going to help things later on. Hopefully Gaara would never learn of it.

* * *

Naruto was nearly driven to his knees by the sudden spike of pain and panic from the members of the crowd not collapsing under the genjutsu.

Two blades went for his back while kunai and shuriken shot towards him.

Abruptly Hinata was there, her hands jabbing out. There were screams from the two Grass nin even as she whirled towards the stream of projectiles.

Then a wooden puppet landed nearby and spat a kunai that she almost managed to avoid while deflecting shuriken.

Naruto was aware of Hinata staggering, her hand coming up to the cut cheek. Then she dropped, spasming and jerking as the poison worked through her system.

Flame answered his call. The two Grass nin became pillars of fire and the continued stream of projectiles were caught within spiral flames.

Hinata stopped moving, and he felt her spirit seem to move through him and then vanish.

The world turned to flame.

* * *

Temari felt the sudden flare of heat even from where she was, and turned to see what it was.

A pillar of flame spread wings and turned a cruel raptor's head towards the Shukaku.

"**Oh. Shit.**"

Any other time she would have boggled at the one-tailed demon, the bloody Shukaku, registering dismay of that level. The Shukaku nonetheless tried to attack.

Then it was gone, the sand composing its body melted away in torrents of glowing amber sludge that caused a number of screams as it seemed to target Grass-nin. The spirit of the Shukaku was visible briefly, then claws and beak tore it apart as she watched. _It... it's EATING the Shukaku? What manner of monster has the Leaf brought out?_

Temari looked around, seeing Kankuro running with his clothes afire and a pile of burnt pieces that was probably his Crow puppet. There was another puppet over there though that looked to be the main focus of attention. Which was probably sparing Kankuro's life.

Temari swallowed nervously then started towards her target only to find that the blonde girl with the ponytail was pointing at her?

* * *

"All those futures just clicked together," said Ino. "Sakura! That blonde girl with the windmill-hairstyle is coming after you!"

"Me?" asked Sakura Haruno. "Why me?"

"I don't know, I can only see the future," complained Ino, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. "You want someone to read her mind, ask Naruto!"

Sakura glanced at where a giant bird of flame was screeching anger and defiance at the heavens and fighting a VERY one-sided kaiju battle. "Pass."

Then the sand monster was gone and there was just that redhaired kid from earlier, stumbling along and looking as if he'd just woken up.

"So should I run or try to fight her?" asked Sakura of Ino.

* * *

Dosu missed the genin's head, but with his jutsu - it wasn't really necessary for him to make physical contact.

"Agh!" yelled Rock Lee as he felt an intense stabbing pain and disorientation.

"Helpless? Like all of your village before -" began Dosu, then stopping when someone jabbed a kunai into his throat. He managed to look a little surprised when he saw who it was. That was all the time he had though, as the person stabbing him didn't allow him more than that

"Tch!" said Kin. "You know, the Leaf may be soft, but they've treated me better than anyone from Sound ever has."

"Kin? You?" asked Lee, despite not being able to hear anything at the moment.

"Pfeh, it's not like I have any personal feelings to get involved in this," protested Kin. "Just an impulse of the moment."

Rock Lee stared.

"Oh, bother," said Kin, seeing some other nin heading her way. "You guys need all the help you can get, after all. Being soft and sentimental and such."

"Of course," said a voice directly behind her.

"ACK!" said Kin, nearly falling over as she very nearly managed to leap out of her own skin.

Neji Hyuga simply stood there, smirking.

"Oh shut up," growled Kin at the pale-eyed boy as she prepared to fight on the side of these losers. A pragmatist, that's all she was. Anyone could see that Sound had no future. Right? Right! She was just looking out for herself!

* * *

The Third Hokage was old and decrepit. Weakened by his time spent on paperwork and not able to keep up the constant honing of skills necessary for major ninja battles.

Kabuto knew this, Orochimaru had commented on it before. The Sound Four were not available, but he had acquired other resources whom he could tap.

"Summoning jutsu!"

Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi had managed to avoid every attack so far.

"You think that monkey is going to help you?"

The jonin who spoke suddenly found the gorilla had grabbed him by the neck, stretching that arm an extra three feet in order to do so, pulling him close in less than a heartbeat.

"I'm an APE, you jackshot," said the gorilla before crushing that neck to less than the thickness of a grape. Tossing the corpse aside, the gorilla glanced at the Hokage. "So. Surrounded by enemy jonin, big monsters have a free-for... scratch that - big fiery bird chowing down on a giant sand-monster, snakes being summoned, civilians threatened. Death and violence and betrayal and so on."

"Yes," said the Third Hokage, going back-to-back with the gorilla.

"Reminds me of old times, old times that I really didn't miss at all."

"Sooner we get done with these, the sooner we can deal with the invasion itself," indicated the Hokage.

* * *

Temari drew her fan out and flicked it open in a practiced move, then unleashed her attack. "Great Wind Sickle Wease-"

Temari blinked a couple of times before dropping her fan. "Enough of THAT."

She walked the rest of the way, easily making it to where the pink-haired girl propped up the sleeping body of the blonde.

"Ino?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah," said Temari. "You want to tie me up securely? We're going to need a few living prisoners to interrogate."

* * *

"Kabuto said that the jinchuriki of the Ninetails was Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sasori, my man? That isn't a fox. And I count twelve tails, not nine."

"Kabuto lied. What a pity. If he survives this debacle, I'll have to... chastise him."

"That bird just ate the One-tail. What does this do to our longterm plans?"

"Hmmm," hmmmed the squat puppetmaster. "If that girl hadn't gotten in the way, we'd have already gotten him. We'll just take it prisoner and extract its power and the One-tailed from it."

"What? NOW?"

"I hate waiting," said Sasori before sending dozens more of poisoned kunai towards the boy. Obviously he had to do the job himself, the delay in using redirected puppets was enough for the boy to defend himself somehow.

A tail lashed out, kunai vaporized as it moved. Then the tail seemed to dissipate in a heat shimmer.

"Uhm," said Deidara as a circle of flame appeared around Sasori. Sasori's arm reached out and ignited as it came close to the air over the circle.

Then the flames rose up in a pillar and converged.

Deidara stumbled back as the heat rose beyond the point where he could stand being even close to it. He could see Sasori moving still, trying to force his way through.

Deidara saw the puppet body burn away, the metal parts lasting slightly longer before they too seemed to shrivel up on themselves as glowing shards.

When the flames turned off, the ground was white-hot surrounded by a ring of orange fading to red and shading to black.

"Even Sasori can become art," mused Deidara as he considered the brief moments he'd been able to observe. "Well, no point in me staying, is there? There's no ninetails after all." His only concern was if Itachi or some of the others decided he hadn't done enough.

* * *

There. The one who struck Hinata down was dealt with.

Immediate threats dealt with, the firebird turned eyes inwards towards the pale-eyed girl. Rage built up.

Hinata twitched.

Flames died as Naruto's rage faltered and he turned his attention to the fallen girl.

Some surviving Sound-nin charged forward thinking he'd exhausted himself.

* * *

Sasayaki considered her position as the door to her cell opened. Today was the day she would die.

Not everyone liked the whole 'fight for Lord Orochimaru, prove yourself strong enough to be his next body' thing. She suspected there was some jutsu or drugs involved because the whole idea of having your body being taken over to kill your 'self' or being killed physically wasn't exactly a good choice to be forced into. It seemed to her, and to a few others she knew of, like a lose-lose situation.

Sure, she'd come to this village when she'd heard that missing-nin and ninja who just plain didn't have a home village were being given a chance to belong to an up-and-coming power. Look how well THAT had turned out!

No, she and the others like her planned on dying in the fight because at least that way you died yourself and not some monster wearing your body like some cheap outfit.

"You ready?" rumbled the deep voice of one of the others assembling in the pit.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Ikazuchi," answered Sasayaki.

"Not much of a choice," said a third of their group.

"So why hasn't Guren given the signal?" asked Sasayaki after a considerable delay as the other prisoners were also waiting.

"You may begin!" declared the ninja on the balcony. "Fight! For a single day of li-"

_FWOOM!_

Sasayaki blinked as all the guards abruptly became pillars of flame.

"I don't see Guren," said Ikazuchi. "In fact, I don't see any of the guards."

"Ikazuchi," said Sasayaki quietly. "How long will it take your Thunder Punch to take out one of those doors?"

"Five minutes to charge it up enough to get past the barrier seals," said Ikazuchi. "Think you can keep these other guys off me long enough for that?"

* * *

"Damn," said a Grass-nin. "This isn't going by plan."

"Doesn't matter," said another Grass-nin.

"HEY!" yelled a third Grass-nin. "I don't recognize you guys!"

A thrown kunai slammed into the third Grass-nin's forehead and sunk about halfway in.

"Damn, that could have been tricky," said the second Grass-nin.

"Oh, you mean like if someone figured out that a lot of you Grass-nin are actually from Sound or Sand and just wearing Grass and Waterfall headbands?"

The two Grass-nin leapt to the sides, twisting and throwing kunai in the time they were airborne.

Kakashi Hatake didn't waste time. By the time the thrown weapons had come to a stop, the two "Grass-nin" were dead.

* * *

The scene was the same, save for the players, all across the Leaf Village.

Here an Akimichi expanded his form to a sixty-foot tall giant who crushed invaders underfoot and then turned to wrestle a giant serpent.

There a Nara used Shadow Strangle to immobilize and kill an attacker who was going after civilians.

Over there, Iruka-sensei was leading a group of children to shelter. In various places, insects gathered and quietly drained opponents' chakra.

However, it was the arena for the third part of the Chunin Exam where most of the fighting was occurring. Though inside the Arena was actually an area of relative calm where only a few fights were occurring. That was due to the level of fighting that was occurring there - most of the combatants clearing from the area lest a stray shot reduce one's status from Active Combatant to Grease Smear.

* * *

Kankuro did what came natural to him. He hid.

Not that he couldn't be ruthless. Not that he couldn't be an effective ninja. Not that he wasn't capable.

It was just that he had been getting into position (difficult when various allies kept getting in the line of fire) when someone else's puppet had struck at the blonde. This was concerning on a couple of fronts - one of which was that as far as he knew there hadn't been another puppet-user among the invading forces.

Then there was the concerning bit about how his puppets had suddenly caught fire. One also couldn't discount when his clothes had done the same thing. That had been kind of hard to ignore actually.

Which left him in a pair of sandals and nothing else, trying to hide in the tunnels left behind by that kid's explosive shadow clones.

If someone came by, he could try attacking them. Until then though, it sounded as if the Invasion Of The Weak Leaf Village wasn't going at all well.

To make matters worse, there seemed to be some bugs in here.

No, this was not going at all well today.

* * *

"Ngh."

It would have been easy to overlook the little gasp of pain amongst all the destruction. If it hadn't been for the mind-link, it very likely would have passed unnoticed. Combined with the earlier movement, it was an unmistakable sign.

The bird of flame paused in its destruction, causing a distant village to sigh in relief as the number of spontaneous combustion cases abruptly ceased.

There were abruptly two Naruto in the arena. One knelt by Hinata's side, the other held out a hand which was immediately filled with a burst of flame that solidified into a weapon that seemed to be a compromise between spear and sword.

* * *

The Daimyo of Fire Country was mostly content to let the fighting go on around him. He usually acted the fool, while those who watched him for an extended period realized that he was anything but.

When the blonde child who'd been throwing fire around split into two, well, that was a ninja technique and he knew of it even if he couldn't do it himself. His brother from many years ago had been more talented at that sort of thing after all.

_He would have loved this,_ realized the Fire Daimyo, infusing his chakra into a small paper fan and idly batting away a stray kunai.

Then the boy manifested a weapon and the Fire Daimyo stopped everything else to stare.

_That can't be... Blonde hair. Blue eyes. But he's dead and he didn't have any children, did he?_

The Fire Daimyo looked towards the Hokage then, seeing that the old ninja was finishing off another Sound ninja. A glasses-wearing ninja tried to attack the Hokage from behind, but was promptly removed from life by a young genin whose hairstyle resembled a pineapple.

"Sarutobi," said the Daimyo, walking past the violence still occurring all around him. "Do you see the weapon that boy is wielding?"

"Ah," said Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Little busy here."

"Later then, we'll make time," said the Fire Daimyo. "Did you know that my littlest brother tired of the sort of politics that goes on in the capital and decided to pursue another career?"

"I... suspected," said the Hokage, making a handseal and then blowing a fireball towards another knot of attackers. "Though only since I learned of that weapon."

"Mmmmm," said the Fire Daimyo. "Yes. I really do need to speak to you regarding that. He seems rather attached to that girl."

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure what the weapon he'd gotten from Tenten was. The thing was there when he needed it though, and that was what counted more than anything else.

It also made fire easier to control.

Naruto finished off an attacking jonin using a homing firebolt, only glancing back once to see where his copy was holding Hinata and keeping her alive. Then he tried out his control of fire with the blade.

Heads started exploding.

* * *

"What. The. Hell?" asked Deidara, his mouth-hand still chewing his clay.

"Happy thoughts," muttered a Sand chunin nearby.

"What do you mean?" asked Deidara, rounding on that person.

"Did you notice, it's only the ones attacking a Leaf villager whose heads start burning," said the chunin. "The Yamanaka prodigy who controls flame?"

Deidara blinked as that thought bounced in his head briefly. The Yamanaka were known for mind-reading and controlling jutsu as well as poor fashion sense. So a jutsu that used hostile intent to home in on, and then blasted the hostile with fire? It was... beautiful.

Deidara watched in rapt fascination as a Sound jonin appeared in mid-air behind the boy who was crouching next to that girl. When the top of the jonin's head exploded in a pillar of flame, he had a perfect and unobstructed view of it.

Explosions were art in Deidara's view. The most perfect art because it occurred and was over then, lost but to memory.

Deidara stopped chewing the clay, and simply turned to go away from this battle. The mission was the mission, but for the chance to savor the view of this art - he would turn away for now.

Besides, Sasori was a grease-fire at the moment and someone had to bring his ring back to Akatsuki.

* * *

Approaching from the front was not going to happen. The Hokage was flanked and backed by ANBU, and said Hokage was unleashing spikes of stone and other jutsu at any enemy in front of him.

So, plan B.

"Hokage-sama! Assistance!" yelled Kabuto Yakushi as he staggered closer. "My team needs assistance, we're being overrun in the North corridor."

_Three more steps, then my chakra scalpels can cut you down, then I just exchange with a corpse I've prepared for the task._

Pain erupted from his outstretched hand as one of the ANBU whirled and landed a palmstrike. Kabuto's medical knowledge and awareness of his own body quickly figured out how many pieces his forearm bones were (ulna-six, radius-four) and how long it would take to repair (two minutes without interruption, three with) as long as nothing else happened.

That everything turned black as he was covered in kikai bugs just indicated that maybe he'd have to get creative.

The kunai that went through his forehead and exited out the back of his head though - that one rather ended speculation.

* * *

The blade rotated, flame forming an aura around it - but the metal didn't heat.

What it DID do though - was cut and leave burning scars behind where it sliced. A swordsman charged forward, completely confident in his own abilities, only to end up with his own weapon halved and the flaming blade bisecting him in the same movement.

The exploding heads/hostile intent jutsu was entirely too intense to keep up with this much chaos going - for very long at least.

Meanwhile the Naruto with Hinata was picking her up and carrying her towards where the medics should be.

"So this is what they mean by covering fire," said the sword-wielding Naruto, using the focus of the blade to make fire bolts that started slamming into more distant opponents.

* * *

Jiraiya leapt along the rooftops at high speed, occasionally throwing a kunai or a jutsu to assist a defender in repelling an invader.

It brought back memories of the last Ninja War. Not good memories, but then there weren't a lot of those anyway.

"SSSstha! A tasty treat!"

His goal of the moment was a big three headed snake wearing bibs. At least he thought they were bibs. Someone's summons, or likely a group summons.

A feminine scream caused his speed to bump up a couple of notches.

Three young girls, civilians from the look of them, cornered by the snake.

Jiraiya smirked. _I __do__ love to make dramatic entries. Let's see. A #4, I think._

Jiraiya landed lightly in front of the three girls and smirked up at the giant three-headed snake. "The hero of legend has arrived! Jiraiya of the Leaf has - arrived!"

"Go away old fool, you're interrupting our meal," said head #1.

"You're too old and withered to be a decent snack," said head #2.

"Go toddle off old man, we're busy here," said head #3.

Jiraiya cracked his knuckles. "I'm only fifty, that isn't that old."

"Yes it is," said snake head #2, followed by at least one of the girls he was protecting.

"Okay, that hurt," protested Jiraiya, speaking of one of the girls he was protecting declaring him old. Well, maybe he WAS getting on in years and maybe he WAS beginning to feel the chill and ache in the mornings. "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was."

"Well, let's try that out shall we?" hissed head #2.

All three heads lunged forward.

"Doton: Yomi Numa," said Jiraiya, stamping one foot. The ground in front of him immediately turned into deep mud, causing the snake's strike to veer off as its lower body slid. "Hari Jigoku!"

Spikes of hardened hair stabbed out.

"You saved us?" exclaimed one of the girls as the snake thrashed around with spikes through its heads.

"Heh," said Jiraiya, choosing what he thought of as a cool pose. "But of course."

"Wow, I guess you're pretty good for being a withered old man," said one of the girls.

"Urk," managed Jiraiya.

"Saeko!" chided one of the other girls.

"Well, he IS. Why couldn't some young dashing ninja hero rescue us." Saeko gestured. "I appreciate the save, but he's so... old."

Watching the three girls running off, Jiraiya let out a deep breath. "I'm not that old..."

A crashing noise brought his attention away from the disappointing end of his battle. "Okay, save village first. Maybe I'll find someone not so picky about little details while I'm at it."


	21. Chapter 21: Destiny's Fire

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 21: Aftermath

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

The Hokage Tower had been hit by a massive attack and was leaning at a slight angle.

"Fuss and bother," muttered the Hokage as he watched a chair slide across the floor.

"We can stabilize with Earth jutsu, Hokage-sama," said an ANBU. "It's just going to take a little time."

The Hokage hmphed a bit at that. "Did Danzo offer any explanation yet WHY he and our two esteemed councillors did NOTHING when the village was invaded?"

"Currently all three are still missing," said the ANBU.

The Hokage hmphed again at that, then smirked. "Oh. I believe I may have a way to draw them out. Tell Naruto Uzumaki that I want to see him."

"As to that, Hokage-sama, the reason I came. The Fire Daimyo is on his way here, and should be here in a matter of minutes."

"Ah," said the Hokage, picking up his pipe. "I love it when a plan comes together." With that he put his pipe in his mouth and just grinned at the ANBU.

* * *

"No. It's That Boy. He's probably just planning something."

"Would it kill you to say something nice about him?"

"...Maybe."

"Incorrigible."

"Then maybe you shouldn't incorrige me. You're just gullible."

"Ugh. Don't think you're getting out of this. I'll hear you say something nice about Naruto Uzumaki or else."

Hinata slowly cracked one eye open to see one of the nurses arguing with an orderly. She was in a hospital?

The nurse shook her head. "People don't change. 'A leopard can't change its spots.' 'A scorpion is always a scorpion.' He was a brat and a prankster and a demonspawn. Always will be."

"You're wrong," said the orderly. "I was there. He protected the village and he saved this girl."

"If he saved her it was so he could eat her later," said the nurse. "Say one more word and you're going on report!"

"Excuse me," said Hinata, getting slowly out of bed.

"You can't get up now! You're still recovering," said the nurse, moving to block the patient.

Hinata let the nurse grab her shoulders before she extended two fingers and drove it into the woman's right forearm. She slowly brought up her head, revealing a hint of gold in her eyes. "You do not know Naruto-kun."

"W-what?" asked the nurse. "I'm a civilian. You can't assault me without a board of inquiry upon you."

"I don't care," said Hinata, then realized she really didn't. She had seen Naruto in a way few people got the chance to do. She had seen the pain he kept hidden. She had seen the face he didn't show to others. Maybe, when they had linked with Yamanaka and each other - they had gotten a little mixed up and she had some of Naruto's confidence. Whatever the case, she had no regrets. "You will speak more respectfully of Naruto-kun, or I will have words with you."

"What are you..." The nurse's voice trailed off as her right arm suddenly went limp.

"Your arm will return to normal in a few minutes," said Hinata, turning her attention to the orderly. "I will return to my clan's compound to recover there. Will that be a problem?"

"No, not at all," said the orderly, who wasn't about to argue. Funny, he'd heard this girl was a cringing wallflower or something but what he'd seen in the arena and just now certainly didn't fit that description at all.

"Good," said Hinata, unsteadily making her way from the room. She held herself up though, it would really detract from things if she let herself fall down.

* * *

"- and I just just kept an eye on the guy. He was obviously planning something and he kept getting and giving signals with various members of the invasion force. I signalled the ANBU with a signal that Iruka-sensei taught us back in the Academy for 'hidden enemy approaches' and the ANBU apparently caught it. No big deal."

"You're just saying that because it would be troublesome if you got promoted," said Choji, reaching for some pork rinds.

"Well, that did occur to me," admitted Shikamaru.

"Things are gonna be different around here," said Choji before munching on his snack.

"They already are," said Shikamaru, nodding his head towards the side.

Choji stared at the third member of their team for a few minutes.

"What?" asked Ino eventually.

"You're quieter than usual," said Shikamaru.

"I'm still trying to get used to... things," said Ino. "I'm still trying to get a handle on some of it."

"You mean you're seeing things from the future?" asked Choji.

"Sort of," admitted Ino. "Trying to make sense of them."

"Sasuke walked by earlier and you didn't say a thing," said Shikamaru.

"My kami! She's been replaced by a foreign-nin?" exclaimed Choji.

"Get real," said Ino, glaring at her team-mate and looking as if she'd be ready to grab a blunt trauma instrument and start swinging if he wanted proof she was still her.

"So what have you seen in the future that's so concerning?" asked Shikamaru.

"Glimpses of things that don't make any sense," said Ino. "Oh, here comes that girl from Sand. Be nice to her."

"Why?" asked Shikamaru. "Because she's one of those who immediately surrendered rather than fight to the death? Because Sand ended up surrendering and now she's an ally?"

"Because she's a hostage, transferred to OUR village?" asked Choji.

The girl in question glared at all of them, then finally looked over at the girl who'd possessed her during the invasion. "If you ever have to tie up someone in the future, you might want to consider not crossing the ropes in certain areas."

"I didn't do it," pointed out Ino, slightly amused. "That was all Sakura's doing."

Temari hmphed as she found her own seat. "If our roles had been reversed, I would have simply killed you."

"I saw you, in the future," said Ino.

"Oh?" asked Temari, tuning out the presence of the boys. "I heard something about that. Uncontrolled flashes of possible future events. You saw me, in YOUR future?"

"No," said Ino, getting a very mischievous look. "In Shikamaru's."

Temari stared at Ino for a moment before pointing. "HIM?"

"Troublesome."

"Troublesome? You call me troublesome?" asked Temari. "You haven't even begun to see troublesome."

"Wow, they're already acting like a couple," noted Choji.

He was rewarded by two sets of glares for his trouble. Ino merely went back to contemplating the future. And craving a cinnamon roll, but she wasn't about to mention that as she didn't understand that part at all.

* * *

"Any idea who he was?" asked one of the ANBU.

"He assisted Iruka Umino in defending the shelter," said Inoichi Yamanaka, looking down at the old man's body.

"He used what looked like a Yamanaka technique, which is why we called you." The ANBU looked down at the body.

"Iruka Umino is a skilled chunin from what I hear," said Inoichi. "However, I would not rate him as an expert on Yamanaka techniques."

"So, just some unknown old ninja that decided to fight on our side," summed up the ANBU.

"Yes," said Inoichi. "Whoever he was, he apparently found peace at the end of his journey."

* * *

"Yo, jiji. You wanted to see me?" asked Naruto.

"Formal manners, Naruto," gently chided the Hokage. "Do you know who this is?"

Naruto looked at the other old man before a stray thought was overheard. "The Daimyo of Fire Country?"

"Yes," said the Daimyo, preparing to say something more when the door burst open.

"SARUTOBI!" Koharu Utatane stormed in. "What is the meaning of this?"

Homura Mitokado looked rather thunderous himself, but as usual kept it very low-key when he spoke. "We just heard that you were promoting Naruto Uzumaki to chunin."

"REALLY?" asked Naruto excitedly.

"No," said the Hokage.

"Oh," said the immediately disappointed Naruto.

The two councilors on the other hand looked greatly relieved.

The Hokage let that sit for a moment. "Daimyo?"

"You know of my younger brother, younger half-brother actually?" asked the Daimyo, leaning against a wall near a window and toying with a folding fan in his hands.

Koharu nodded at that. "Yes. It is a practice not unheard of that the younger child goes off to live in a monastery or similar cloister. That way they are out of the succession and it is seen as an honorable and traditional method of retiring from the field."

"Except my half-brother didn't go to some temple or cloister," said the Daimyo, tapping his fan into the palm of the other hand. He smiled, knowing the dramatic buildup and enjoying it. "He changed his name, becoming Minato Namikaze."

Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his 'poker-face' in place. He simply enjoyed seeing the blood drain entirely from the two councilors' faces.

"You're joking, right?" asked Homura. "Everyone knows how fond the Daimyo is of clever jokes."

"Not joking," said the Daimyo. "The politics have been particularly cut-throat lately. Many people see me as not able to continue past another decade. With no heir, things are a bit chaotic in fact."

Despite being able to maintain a completely neutral expression, the Hokage almost smirked. The two had partially recovered from their earlier shock only to move past mere 'shock' or startlement.

"W-w-what?" asked Koharu in a very small and uncertain voice she hadn't used since she had been in a genin team.

The Daimyo felt no need to maintain a poker face, he simply kept up the facade of the harmless clown he often maintained. "Imagine my relief when I found out that there was an heir."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered if it were possible that when the two talked to Danzo Shimura - would the old man simply have a heart attack and save everyone some grief?

* * *

Naruto looked from one to the other in the room, trying to figure out what all was going on.

Jiji, aka Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage, was amused about something and really darn well shielded. The only thing escaping him at the moment was that amusement with a trickle of concern underneath that.

The ANBU, Cat and Boar, were likewise hard to read. Part of that was their masks.

_So the (Fourth Hokage/Yondaime/Minato Namikaze) was in the line of succession to Fire Country Daimyo,_ was an errant thought from the Cat-masked ANBU. _Interesting. Oh, he's reading isn't he?_

Naruto didn't flinch at the sound/image of vault doors slamming in his face, just went to the two agitated presences.

What he saw there, past the disapproval and hostility, made Naruto break his momentary cool and stare at one of the two. "I'm the son of the FOURTH?"

Koharu blinked before glaring at the youth. "How dare you use your Yamanaka techniques on me!"

"Can't help it, you're practically shouting at me," said Naruto, absently as he tried to sort through the images bombarding him now. So that's what his mother and father looked like when they were alive?

"Well now, Naruto," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, steepling his hands in front of him on his desk. "I hadn't planned on promoting you, but..."

The shock and alarm from the two hostile old people went up a notch or two.

The Daimyo snapped his fan open. "Well now. Since he's needed for a long mission away from the village, wouldn't it be best if he WAS promoted?"

Naruto's eyes flicked to the Daimyo.

_Young one, you need to train in your gifts, but also just in case I pass on,_ went the Daimyo's thoughts, being deliberately shown towards Naruto. _And you may be able to do additional service to your village and country. Yes, I think this will stir things up nicely._

Naruto glanced at the two disapprovals before turning his full attention to the Hokage. "So what do you need me to do?"

As he listened, Naruto wiped the smirk from his face. In a way, it was a prank. He hadn't pranked anyone in quite some time, and he'd have to do something about that.

* * *

"Troublesome," said Shikamaru Nara as he looked over the posted results of the exam.

"That you made chunin?" asked Choji.

"Yes, now I'm going to be expected to lead a squad. Extra work and extra responsibility," said Shikamaru.

Choji just shrugged. Shikamaru would probably find something to complain about if he hadn't made chunin.

"Naruto made chunin too," noted Ino. "Not surprising."

"I can see Shikamaru making chunin," said Choji, "but doesn't Naruto just have raw power going for him?"

"Chunin means he also can get more advanced training, and he certainly needs the control," said Ino. "Some resources are restricted to chunin and up."

"Those laws really aren't followed that much," said Shikamaru. "At least in our village they're not."

"Well, it could be worse," said Choji, opening a bag of potato crisps.

* * *

"Okay," said Kakashi Hatake. "Training."

"I don't see Naruto or Sakura," noted Sasuke.

"Naruto has had... complications come up," noted Kakashi. "Special control training among other things."

Sasuke nodded at that. Control was important. Seeing the scorched remains of some enemy nin indicated that Naruto already had pretty good control, but improving that control was certainly something that could be considered desirable. "And Sakura?"

"Is having some special training of her own," said Kakashi.

"Why does that somehow sound as if she's undergoing training horrors at the hands of a sadist?" asked Sasuke.

"No idea, but that's fairly accurate," said Kakashi.

* * *

"Okay then," said Anko. "We ready for another day of happy fun stuff?"

"No," honestly answered Sakura.

"Good! That's the positive winning attitude I love to crush out of people," said Anko. "Hmmm. You're overdressed a bit."

Sakura blinked and considered it. It was her usual outfit.

"And what's with that zero? Are you advertising your power level?" asked Anko.

"No, actually, that's not it at all," began Sakura. "It's a circle, which is symbolic of-"

Anko got out her whip.

Sakura knew this was not going to be fun at all.

She was right.

* * *

The Jyuuken was all about circular motions. Flowing and shifting like water, turning the opponent's strength against itself. When striking, it was as precise as a surgeon's chakra scalpel.

Hiashi watched and noted the improvements that Hinata's performance in the family martial art was showing.

Somewhere she'd gotten more confidence from. Hanabi was still more aggressive, more forceful, more willing to strike and strike hard. Hinata was still more defensive than offensive.

Underneath that though, the extra confidence and strength changed everything. Hanabi the storm-tossed sea, Hinata the ocean more at rest. In a real fight, Hinata could potentially wear out Hanabi.

Hiashi Hyuga was entirely too aware of the image that the Hyuga carefully maintained. Showing any sign of approval towards Hinata's upswing in performance had to be subtle.

"Adequate," said Hiashi.

"Yes, Hyuga-sama," said Ko. "I was really surprised by the Chunin Exam results. Hinata-sama did so well in the second part and in fighting during the invasion, but poorly in training prior to that. While Neji who did so well in training and up through the first part of the exam..."

"Was knocked out in the Invasion by a poisoned senbon," finished Hiashi. "As you said, it was quite surprising."

* * *

"My life is hell," said Neji.

"Oh, so you got passed over for promotion," said Tenten.

"That's not it," said Neji.

"You couldn't keep your Byakugan going through the whole invasion," said Tenten. "And you couldn't help it that you got knocked out during the Invasion. At least you managed to fight Naruto."

"That's not it," said Neji.

"It's not that Lee has a girlfriend is it?" asked Tenten.

"Yes... no. Definitely not," said Neji.

"Well, look at it this way," offered Tenten, "she's tsundere."

"I..." Neji considered that. Oddly enough, it DID make him feel a bit better that even if Rock Lee had managed to turn a kunoichi - she had a major personality flaw.


	22. Chapter 22: Epilogue

Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternative  
by Greylle

Chapter 22: Epilogue

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there - i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

* * *

_Three years later:_

"Papers please," politely demanded the guard.

Sakura already had them in hand, and so passed them over without hesitation.

"No henge or genjutsu detected," said a samurai, moving up behind the guard. "Good e'en, Sakura Haruno."

Sakura glanced at the samurai but couldn't place the face.

"Goto, 32nd regiment, we met last time you were at the capital," said the samurai.

"Ah," said Sakura, remembering that. Not the samurai though, there had been a lot of new faces then. Had that really been last year? "Part of the honor guard?"

"Yes, milady," said Goto. "This way please."

Sakura nodded, looking around her as she followed the samurai. More soldiers visible here and there than she remembered. "Expecting trouble?"

"I believe the Head of Security will want to speak with you herself," said Goto, stopping and standing to the side outside a door. He rapped on it twice.

"Enter and be welcome, Sakura Haruno," came a familiar voice from the other side of that door.

Sakura entered, knelt, and checked for genjutsu by manipulating her chakra while being as inobvious as possible about it.

When she was done, the woman in the formal kimono had shifted three feet to the left but was otherwise unchanged. Well, except for the hair being longer. "You're looking well, Hinata."

"As are you, Sakura," said the bodyguard. "It's safe."

The old man in samurai armor nodded. "You've no doubt noticed the extra security. The young lord found a spy three days ago, one who didn't even realize he was a spy."

Sakura nodded. "That's probably related to why I'm here. The Akatsuki are on the move."

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

i wanted to get Mjolnir and Phoenix thru the Chunin Exams, and this was done.

As far as i know, this story is the only one where Hinata kills Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams. (With the possible exception of Time Braid, where a time looped version of Hinata manages to do it. This was one of my planned events/divergences, and i had to think about using it after all when i ran across that. This particular Hinata hasn't had decades to build up her power level though.)

Sorry it took so long to post this, as i hadn't realized that i hadn't posted it already until recently.


End file.
